PremiumSenior Congress leader DK Shivakumar reached the Enforcement Directorate office on Monday after he was summoned for the donations he made to Young Indian in connection with the National Herald PMLA case. Although he had asked for three weeks’ time to attend to the ED summons, DK Shivakumar said he came before as he respects the calls to attend to the investigations. Young Indian is the company that owns National Herald.
This is the second time that the federal agency is recording his statement in the case that has been registered under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Speaking with the reporters as he reached Delhi to attend the summons, Shivakumar said, “ED once again summoned me on the Young India issue. I sent some papers to them. I feel that they're still not satisfied."
“They had summoned me, I couldn't participate that day since I had a prescheduled massive program. Today they called me again. I had asked for 3-week time but they asked me to come today. I've come here directly from Mahakaleshwar Ujjain where I was. Whatever it is, we will respect the summons and institutions. I will reply to all of them," Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar said in Delhi.
DK Shivakumar also said that there’s nothing to hide for him about his donations to Young Indian. He asserted that whatever he has donated, it was for charitable work.
“There is nothing to hide. Whatever we've given for charitable work, we have given. We're also in public life. There is nothing wrong. Not only me, but many well-wishers of Young India gave them," DK Shivakumar said.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the National Herald money laundering case.
The Gandhis are the majority shareholders of Young Indian.
(With agency inputs)