Bengaluru: Former chief minister of Karnataka and state chief of the Janata Dal (Secular), H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday found himself in the middle of another controversy relating to illegal accumulation of wealth of over Rs20,000 crore after a Congress worker filed a complaint with the income tax (IT) department in Bengaluru.
In his complaint, S. Venkatesh Gowda, who claims to be an active member of the Karnataka unit of the Congress party, claimed that Kumaraswamy and his family have amassed wealth and indulged in money laundering amounting to Rs20,000 crore in America and north India.
He went on to say that the family of Kumaraswamy which include former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former Karnataka minister H.D. Revanna and serving Lok Sabha member Anita Kumaraswamy, have been “looting the state and ruling the state even though they JD(S) are not in power.”
However, the complaint given by Venkatesh Gowda did not seem to sway Kumaraswamy’s opinion that the entire controversy was created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to tarnish his growing popularity.
The Congress party distanced itself from the controversy and even denied knowledge of the complainant’s claim of being a state party worker.
“I know where this letter was typed and from which office it went to the income tax department,” Kumaraswamy said on Wednesday, naming BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa as the person behind this malicious campaign.
Yeddyurappa could not be reached for comment.
“BJP wanted to destroy my image because in this election, Karnataka voters have decided to vote for me and bring me to rule the state,” the JD(S) state chief said in Bengaluru.
The complainant mentioned that Kumaraswamy had profited illegally with the Jantakal Mining Co. and Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals and claimed to have submitted documents supporting his claim.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Gangaram Baderiya for illegally granting permission and favouring Jantakal, a case in which Kumaraswamy is also named.
Making light of the matter, Kumarswamy said that if this alleged wealth of Rs20,000 crore was ever found, then the Centre should use it to waive off farmer loans in the state.