After a gruelling four days of Income Tax raids on many premises and aides of Karnataka Power Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday joined the bandwagon of Gujarat congress MlAs who are holed up in a posh resort at the outskirts of Bengaluru fearing poaching by the BJP ahead of crucial Rajya Sabha elections .
One of the richest mantri in the country Shivakumar was, however, proved a point that still he commands all over. He came out of his opulent Sadashivnagara residence for the first time spoke to the media and also brought all the Gujarat MlAs in a bus to Vidhana Soudha and took them to meet the Governor Vajubhai Vala who hails from Gujarat. His gestures and body language was a pointer to prove he still commands.
He spoke to the media and said he has not done anything illegal to embarrass his party or the government. “Nobody can hide truth. I never worked against the spirit of the law and constitution…I am not embarrassing my party.”
Shivakumar one of the powerful vokkaliga leaders in the state however refused to say anything on the raids. "Nobody can hide the truth. I will speak in detail only after obtaining the 'panchanama' documents. I never worked against the spirit of the law and Constitution… I am not embarrassing my party and at no point, will I let down my leaders,” he added.The grueling and marathon search and seizure operations by Income Tax sleuths at his Sadashivanagar residence and other places concluded on Saturday morning around 10.20 a.m.
He said he would go meet the Gujarat MlAs, who are staying at the Eagleton Resort on the outskirts of the city. "I will first visit a temple and later meet the Gujarat MlAs, who have come to Bengaluru reposing faith in me,” he said to loud cheers from his supporters gathered outside his residence. "I would like to thank leaders across the country who stood by me in the crisis," he said, adding that he won't let his party down.
When asked whether the I-T searches were complete, Shivakumar said, "You saw the officials walking out. I don't know. I have got to know that it (raids) has happened at 70 or 80 places only through you (the media). Please find out yourself."
Condemning the use of central police forces during the I-T raids, Chief Minster Siddaramaiah reiterated it was politically motivated and said they would fight legally. “ Shivakumar knows the law. We will fight this legally," he added.
Meanwhile Gujarat MlAs who came out for the first time from the resort after June 29 when they were bought to Bengaluru as a safe place , blamed BJP for the raids on DK Shivakumar and said it was done to instill fear in them.
Gujarat Congress MlA Shaktisinh Gohil spoke to media in Bengaluru after meeting the governor Vajubhai Vala and said raids were a misuse of power by the BJP.
He said "D K Shivakumar has been a businessman for 30 years, and has regularly filed tax returns. Three-day continuous raids are unheard of; this is a misuse of power by the BJP. The case being investigated is an old one; why did the IT department wait for us to come and then begin the raidsIJ This has been one by the BJP solely to instill fear". He dared BJP to conduct raids on the office of the BJP Chief Amit Shah. He was accompanied by all the 43 MlAs and said they have urged the Governor asking him to safe guard democracy.
"Vajubhai has been a Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly, so he knows each of us personally. He has been an honest individual, who has risen above politics. This is why we chose to meet him, to safeguard our democracy and stand by our principles; not to indulge in dirty politics like the BJP", said Gohil.
"We want to go back as soon as possible, although nothing has been planned yet. We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow", he added. He however denied they were kept here forcibly. "Neither we offer bribes nor accept it. We have notified our party cadets to install CCTVs wherever necessary. Any attempts of the BJP to buy us will be foiled. We will also record calls if required", added Gohil.
However a source in the congress party said that the MlAs will leave for New Delhi to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi and reach Ahmedabad just a day before the elections. The Gujarat MlAs led by Shivakumar sat in front of Gandhi statue at Vidhanasoudha to mark their protest.