Karnataka: 'SB' in secret diary a top bureaucrat?

Bengaluru: The initials ‘SB’ in the now leaked diary, which was seized by the Income Tax department in March 2016 during a raid at the house of the Congress MLC K. Govindaraju, who is also the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary to the Chief Minister, may not refer to the proposed steel bridge (SB) in the city, but could reportedly be the initials of a politically well connected and powerful bureaucrat, informed sources told Deccan Chronicle.

“The initials ‘SB’ in the secret diary, which reportedly has sketchy details of the funds collected and sent by some Congress ministers in the state to the high command for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, may not refer to the controversial steel flyover. It could instead be funds that were allegedly collected and given to the ministers by the bureaucrat. The details of the diary and the initials mentioned in it, however, need to be verified by the I-T Department,” said the source.

In the diary there was an alleged mention of Rs 65 crore against the initials ‘SB’ and the inference was that this money was reportedly given as kickback to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the proposed Rs 1,791-crore steel flyover. “This may not be completely true,” said the officer. The alleged initials in the diary refer to the initials of the Congress ministers and senior leaders in New Delhi and the amount they have allegedly received and contributed to the high command.