Complainant in ED case has relations with Congress, but is a BJP voter: Jarkiholi

Karnataka Public Works (PWD) Minister Sathish Jarkiholi, who was raided by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) recently, on Saturday, said he knew who complained against him and had asked the Chief Minister to look into it.

Curiously, addressing the press, he said the “complainant had relations with the Congress, but was a BJP voter.” “So, it is like 50:50. It is difficult to tell anything,” he said, responding to a question on whether the ED raids were a result of internal squabbling within the Congress or done at the behest of the BJP.

The BJP was quick to seize this opportunity and claimed that Mr. Jarkiholi’s statement made it clear that the ED raids were a result of Congress’s infighting and that the BJP had no role to play in the matter. “Satish Jarkiholi has openly expressed aspiration to become the Chief Minister.

There are suspicions that someone has been working against him to weed him out of the competition to become the Chief Minister within his own party,” BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra said. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R.

Ashok took to social media and demanded that Mr. Jarkiholi “disclose the name of the Congress leader who backstabbed him.” Speaking about the case, Mr. Jarkiholi said that the ED had only expressed suspicions and made allegations, which he would contest and fight legally with facts and documents.

“The investigation has just begun. They will serve me a notice, and I will respond with suitable explanations and documents. I am not saying we are 100% right; maybe there have been small mistakes here and there, but the ED has been claiming that we have made significant offshore investments.

Our argument is that we are in the process of doing those investments and are awaiting permissions, including from RBI for the same. We definitely intend to make those investments, but were yet to make them, is our stand.

We should see what the law finally decides,” he said. The ED had, in a statement issued on Friday, claimed that the Jarkiholi family had made investments in three mining companies in Congo and Zambia, including in a gold mining firm in Congo, violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.

However, the ED also said they had raided a private firm, Bharat Vanijya Eastern Private Ltd (BVEPL), “over allegations that the company had paid huge bribes in lieu of getting a tender from the PWD which was allegedly used for acquiring foreign assets [by the Jarkiholi family].” Mr.

Jarkiholi, while claiming they were yet to make these offshore investments, did not speak on the corruption allegations. Support for Mr. Jarkiholi came from an unusual quarter, with fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya taking to social media platform X.

He wrote, “The Enforcement Directorate is boasting about this. No chargesheet. No trial. Just character assassination in public. This does not happen in any other country. Please think for yourself.”