Jarkiholi Says He Knows ED Complainant, Calls It '50:50' Congress-BJP Link
Karnataka Minister Sathish Jarkiholi says the ED complainant has Congress ties but votes BJP, as the BJP claims the raids stem from Congress infighting.
Karnataka Public Works Minister Sathish Jarkiholi, whose premises were recently searched by the Directorate of Enforcement, said on Saturday that he knows who filed the complaint against him and has asked the Chief Minister to look into the matter.
Speaking to the press, the Minister described the complainant as someone with ties to the Congress who nonetheless votes for the BJP. "So, it is like 50:50. It is difficult to tell anything," he said, when asked whether the raids stemmed from rivalry within the Congress or from pressure by the BJP.
The BJP seized on the remark, arguing it showed the raids were the product of Congress infighting and that the party had no hand in them. State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra said Mr. Jarkiholi has openly nursed ambitions of becoming Chief Minister, and that there are suspicions someone has been working to push him out of that race within his own party. Leader of Opposition R. Ashok, posting on social media, demanded that the Minister name the Congress leader he believes betrayed him.
On the case itself, Mr. Jarkiholi said the ED has so far only raised suspicions and allegations, which he will contest legally with facts and documents. He said the investigation has just begun and that he will respond to any notice with explanations and records. While conceding there may have been minor lapses, he disputed the agency's claim of large offshore investments, saying the family is in the process of making such investments and is awaiting permissions, including from the RBI. He maintained the investments were intended but not yet made, and that the law will decide the matter.
In a statement on Friday, the ED alleged that the Jarkiholi family invested in three mining companies in Congo and Zambia, including a gold mining firm in Congo, in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. The agency also said it searched a private firm, Bharat Vanijya Eastern Private Ltd, over allegations that it paid large bribes to secure a PWD tender, funds allegedly used to acquire foreign assets for the family. Mr. Jarkiholi did not address the corruption allegations.