Karnataka: Congress' attack on demonetisation falls apart

Bengaluru: The fast approaching Assembly elections in five states, seems to have forced Congress party leaders to put up a spirited defence of a cabinet minister and the state women wing chief who were raided by the IT department. These leaders have been quick to dub it as an act of political revenge by the rival BJP which heads the ruling coalition at the Centre, to undo the damage caused by the raid.

During the raid last week, the IT department unearthed  accounted assets worth a staggering Rs 162 crore from SSI minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and state women wing chief, Laxmi Hebbalkar. While CM, Siddaramaiah washed his hands of the controversy hinting that he could not take action against the minister because the IT department did not inform the party or government on the illegality, party leaders have refused to talk on the issue. However, a few who agreed to comment, put a rider that it should be strictly off-the-record.

"Karnataka is the only big state where the Congress party is in power now. It is quite natural that the party has to depend on the Karnataka party unit for resources. At this stage, if the party distances itself from these leaders, it would send a wrong signal to people," a leader confided. When contacted, Congress national spokesperson, Prof. Rajeev Gowda, who was reluctant to speak, said, "Those who were raided have a chance to prove the legal sources of their  income." Another leader  said that the demonetisation campaign launched by the party had already lost steam and this episode was the last nail in the coffin.

"Our party has convened a meeting of legislators, ministers, taluk and zilla panchayat members on January 28 to take the fight against demonetisation  to the grassroots. But the money laundering cases against officers close to ministers and the raid on the house and office of a cabinet minister, has taken the wind out of our sails with people now likely to mock us if we protest against demonetisation," a leader said.