As the Enforcement Directorate grilled senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar for the fifth day in Delhi in a money laundering case, his party leaders in Karnataka once again cried foul saying their colleague was a victim of vendetta politics, a charge rejected by the BJP leaders.
State Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao accused the BJP of using investigating agencies to "vindictively targeting" opposition leaders and said the party stood with Shivakumar while former MP, V S Ugrappa called it witch hunting and took exception to the leader being summoned on Ganesha Chaturthi day for questioning.
"Vindictively targeting opposition leaders, using agencies to harass and humiliate them is a specific agenda of BJP. D K Shivakumar has been bearing the brunt since two years. We are with him in this fight against an authoritarian regime," Rao tweeted.
Senior BJP leader and state Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Jagadish Shettar rejected the Congress charge, saying the institutions were doing their duty and if someone felt being victimised, he cannot help it.
Revenue Minister R Ashoka too junked the allegations of vindictive politics.
"Whether be it ED, CBI or any other agency, they are all independent. BJP never does such politics because we don't need to do so. Whatever is going on is as per the law," said Ashoka.
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Former chief ministers H D Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah among others have condemned the action against Shivakumar, calling it vindictive.
Congress leaders on Tuesday slammed a section of BJP leaders who backed the action by the ED against Shivakumar.
Shivakumar was in tears on Monday before entering the ED office in New Delhi as he expressed his anguish over the statements by Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol and Health Minister B Sriramulu.
Karjol had used a Kannada adage on Monday, which translates to "Those eating salt will have to drink water."
"He is not running away but yet he was summoned on Ganesha Chaturthi day. If not vendetta politics, what else is?"
Commenting on Karjol's statement using salt analogy, Ugrappa said, "I want to know what the BJP leaders ate when they went to jail."