Vijayendra facing money laundering, should quit first: Congress

Bengaluru: In a sharp counter to BJP's calls for chief minister Siddaramaiah to quit, Congress Wednesday demanded the resignation of BJP state president BY Vijayendra, pointing out that he too is facing cases of money laundering and corruption.
Priyank Kharge, IT-BT minister and spokesperson for the govt, said Vijayendra, in his 2023 assembly election affidavit, had listed multiple cases against him, including for alleged money laundering.He said BJP has "no moral authority" to demand Siddaramaiah's resignation just because the Enforcement Directorate has filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) in the Muda case.
"The ED had filed an ECIR against Vijayendra too for money laundering, and the Lokayukta registered a case against him under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act," Priyank said. "Going by his own logic, if Siddaramaiah must resign because of the ED's ECIR in the Muda case, then Vijayendra too should step down as BJP state president."
Priyank accused Vijayendra and BJP of double standards and hypocrisy, saying, "They lay claim to the moral high ground but Vijayendra himself has been booked for bribery, cheating, and extortion. This is not a mere Congress allegation; he himself has mentioned it in his election affidavit."
He also criticised the ED for "bias", saying the agency took years to investigate cases against BJP functionaries like former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and Vijayendra, yet moved with alacrity in the Muda case. "The irony is that the complainant is the same in both the Yediyurappa and Siddaramaiah cases, but the ED discriminated in the way it approached these cases," he said.
Priyank pointed out that Yediyurappa, Vijayendra's father, is also under scrutiny in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act case and questioned BJP's moral standards.
He demanded that all opposition functionaries involved in land de-notification cases resign first before calling for Siddaramaiah's resignation. He said the ED has registered 5,297 money laundering cases over the past 10 years, most of it involving opposition functionaries, but only 40 have resulted in convictions.
Meanwhile, on accusations against Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, Priyank said, "Let the law take its course; we are not here to protect anybody."