Was sent to Tihar jail for not supporting or going with BJP: D K Shivakumar

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday claimed he was sent to Tihar jail as he did not support or go with the BJP. He even called the BJP government in the State as the most corrupt in the country. ''I went to Tihar jail because they (BJP) sent me.

You (BJP) sent me, as I did not support you, didn't come along with you,'' Shivakumar said in response to a statement by senior BJP leader and Minister K S Eshwarappa, questioning as to why he went to Tihar jail. Asked whether he wouldn't have gone to jail had he joined the BJP, he said, ''everything is known, there are records...''

Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 3, 2019 in a money laundering case, and was lodged in Tihar jail from where he was released on October 23 that year following the Delhi High Court granting him bail. Further, demanding a fair probe into kickback charges levelled by the State contractors association, Shivakumar called the current BJP government in the Karnataka as the most corrupt government in this country.


In their letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, the Karnataka State Contractors Association claimed harassment by ministers, elected representatives and others by accusing them of demanding up to 30 per cent of the tender amount for approving a contract, and 5-6 per cent towards release of 'Letter of Credit' against pending bills.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has ordered an inquiry by officials into the charges of corruption while Congress is demanding a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court Judge.