Kalaburagi, Nov 10 (UNI) Indirectly accusing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's name in the bitcoins scam, former IT Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said the scam would dethrone BJP government in the state.
"If the government initiates proper investigation, this government will fall. Many BJP leaders, their children and officers are involved in it. It is more than Rs 1000 crore scam. The government claims it has handed over the case to the Enforcement Directorate and CBI. Where are the papers. Show us," he told reporters here.
People know who are involved in the scam and it is not necessary to openly take their names, Kharge said.
"Who was at the helm of affairs as home minister when Srikrishna, the hacker, was arrested? In whose rule was Srikrishna let off? There is a saying "Raja ki jaan tote mein hai" (The life of the king is in the parrot). And that parrot is Srikrishna. I do not want to name anybody. It is very clear. It is a known fact. Is it not necessary to open the knots? In the coming days, Karnataka will see the third chief minister," he said.
Questioning the delay in probing the bitcoins scam, Kharge alleged that the government is systematically trying to bury the case. "Why are the chief minister and home minister delaying the probe? The officers of the home minister are involved in it," he said.
The government, Kharge said, should divulge the names of the culprits, to whichever party they belong to and punish them, but asking Congress leaders to release the evidence is not fair.
Nevertheless the Congress, Kharge said, will release the papers proving guilty people at an appropriate time.
Countering the allegations, RDPR Minister KS Eshwarappa said as per law, the onus of proving the charges lie on the accuser. "Instead of releasing the evidence before the people proving involvement of the BJP leaders, Kharge is indulging in hit and scoot tactics," he said.
"Let, DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Kharge release one paper proving BJP leaders' involvement in the bitcoins scam. Instead of this, they are simply hitting the BJP and scooting. Is there any meaning in it," he said.
If Congress does not release the papers, then it raises the suspicion that they want to blackmail the bureaucrats who know the culprits, Eshwarappa said. "There are no BJP leaders involved in it as told by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra," he stated.
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