A complaint has been lodged with the Income Tax (I-T) investigations wing against former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) president HD Kumaraswamy allegedly by a Congress worker Venkatesh Gowda on Wednesday in a money laundering case. The complainant also questioned the various investments made by Kumaraswamy and his family members in India and abroad.
Kumaraswamy had last week appeared before a lokayukta Special Investigation Team after he was issued a notice to appear in connection with the Janthakal case. On March 29, the Supreme Court asked the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police to probe allegations against two former Chief Ministers N Dharam Singh and HD Kumaraswamy in connection with an iron ore mining case.
Meanwhile Kumaraswamy in a Press conference in Bengaluru ridiculed the allegation and blamed Congress and the BJP for conspiring against him. He said both the Congress and the BJP were conspiring against him to defame his party in the run up to 2018 elections by instigating people to file corruption cases against him. He said he was ready to face any inquiry on this. In a sarcastic remark, he said he was ready to give away all his benami assets to write off farmers’ loans and appealed to PM Narendra Modi to order CBI inquiry into properties in his and his family members name under benami as alleged in a complaint filed with the Income Tax Department.
Kumaraswamy alleged that both BJP and Congress leaders have joined hands to tarnish his name as they were afraid of popularity JD(S) getting on march towards 2018 Assembly election.