‘Aimed to protect Shivakumar’: BJP, JD(S) slams Congress govt

BENGALURU: The opposition BJP and JD(S) have slammed the Karnataka Cabinet’s move to withdraw consent for a CBI investigation against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case, terming the decision illegal.

They accused the government of going against the law and taking an “immoral” decision aimed at protecting Shivakumar.

The Cabinet on Thursday deemed the previous BJP government’s move to give consent to the CBI to investigate the DA case against Shivakumar as not being in accordance with law, and decided to withdraw the sanction.

The CBI has claimed that Shivakumar amassed wealth to the tune of Rs 74.93 crore, disproportionate to known sources of his income from April 1, 2013 to April 30, 2018, when he was the Energy Minister in the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of 2013-2018.

“Ultimately, everyone will have to abide by what the court decides... In a way this is a decision that is against law... Let’s wait and see what the court decides next,” veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa said.

Yediyurappa’s son and state BJP president B Y Vijayendra said the Cabinet decision is “totally illegal and anti-constitutional,” adding that the decision is aimed at protecting Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president.

JD(S) state president and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy remarked, “This government is there to protect the looters”. He said that he would raise the issue questioning the Cabinet decision, during the upcoming Assembly session from December 4.

Defending the Cabinet’s move to withdraw consent for a CBI probe against Shivakumar, Karnataka Home minister G Parameshwara said the government has not gone into the merits of the disproportionate assets case against him, but has only corrected the “procedural lapse” on the part of the previous BJP regime.

Maintaining that government’s decision is not politically motivated to “protect” Shivakumar, he said the Oppositions is free to interpret whatever way they want.