ED pressurised me to name CM, Deputy CM in Valmiki scam, alleges Cong MLA

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Minister B Nagendra, who walked out of the jail on Wednesday, alleged that he was pressurised by the ED to name Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar in the multi-crore scam in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. He also charged the ED (Directorate of Enforcement) with arresting him under pressure from the BJP as part of a conspiracy to destabilise the Congress government. A special court here on Monday granted bail to the Congress MLA, who was arrested by the ED in connection with the scam. "The BJP that is governing the country is conspiring to somehow destabilise the Congress governments wherever in power.

For three months, I was harassed by the ED with the intention to destabilise our government. Despite no role of mine in the Valmiki scam, all of a sudden I was arrested. On pressure from the BJP central leaders, ED tried to destabilise the state government by arresting me," Nagendra said. Speaking to reporters after being released from the jail, he said, he was pressured to name Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in connection with the scam. "I rejected it saying that when my role itself is not there (in the scam), where is their (CM & DCM) role? Where is the government's role? There is no connection between the scam that has taken place in the bank and the government. Despite that, BJP both in the state and at the Centre conspired, as they have done in the 'MUDA' scam," he said. Asked about the context where he was pressured to name the CM, the former minister said, "it was in connection with the Finance Department (held by the CM)." "Without any written orders, without any orders money was transferred. At the time when there was a code of conduct, bank officials without even checking KYC have done it. It is not a state government scam, it is a bank scam. Neither the chief minister nor I as the concerned minister was aware of it,'' he said.