Bengaluru: Following a directive from a local court, the Bengaluru Police on Saturday registered a first information report (FIR) against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP national president JP Nadda, Enforcement Directorate relating to the now scrapped Rs 8,000 crore electoral bonds scheme.
FIR Registered
The 42 Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court Judge on Friday directed Tilak Nagar police to register a case based on a complaint filed by Adarsh R Iyer of Janadhikara Sangharsha Parishat.
As per the FIR, Sitharaman is accused number one (A1) while ED is A2, Nadda is A3, previous BJP Karnataka president Nalinkumar Kateel is A4 and his successor BY Vijayendra is A5.
Cases have been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 384 (punishment for extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
About The Allegation
In the private complaint filed before the court in April this year, Iyer alleged that Sitharaman committed extortion under the guise of electoral bonds to the tune of Rs 8000 and more crores.
“We first lodged a complaint before the Tilak Nagar police station on March 30. But they didn't act on this. Then we approached the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East Bengaluru). They too didn't respond to our plea. Following this we had to approach the court,” Iyer told the Free Press Journal.
In the complaint, Iyer stated that ,fearing raids, many corporate and moneybags were coerced and coaxed to buy Electoral Bonds worth several crores, which were encashed by Nadda and Kateel. According to Iyer, the entire “extortion racket under the garb of electoral bonds has been orchestrated hand in glove with officials of BJP at various levels.”
Resignation Demanded By Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanded that Sitharaman should resign. “When are the BJP leaders who seeking my resignation after a FIR is registered, going to ask for Sitharaman's resignation? Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy who is out on bail should resign,” he said in Mysuru.
HD Kumaraswamy's Reponse
To this Kumaraswamy riposted: “Why should she resign? Did electoral bond money go to her personal account?,” he asked while ruling out his own resignation.
He pointed out that the CM's land scam was a different matter. The government has powers to denotify land, he said. Kumaraswamy appeared before the Lokayukta on Friday in connection with a land denotification which was later purchased by his brother-in-law.
