Published 19:00 IST, September 2nd 2019
DK Shivakumar's mother Gowramma: 'BJP jealous of my son's growth'
Shivakumar's mother accused the BJP of being jealous of her son's political growth. Shivakumar was interrogated by the ED for the third day on Monday.
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As D K Shivakumar appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third time on Monday, his mother, Gowramma, accused the BJP of being jealous of her son's political growth. The ED has been grilling Shiva Kumar in connection with the alleged money laundering case. Gowramma also claimed that they have not become wealthy overnight but they have been wealthy for ages. " They are charging us for having so much of wealth. We are not overnight rich. My father-in-law Kempe Gowda was a big name in the village...," she recalled. Gowramma further added, that her house was also raided when Shivakumar was only a seven or eight-year-old child, and that the family had come out clean.
Talking to the reporters in her ancestral village of Kanakapura, Shivakumar's mother, Gowramma said, "They lack empathy. The BJP and nobody else, is doing it (to Shivakumar). They are jealous that he is growing (politically) but we can't help it,"
'We have been wealthy for ages': Gowramma
"We have never killed anyone nor stolen anything or cheated anybody.. We have toiled hard to make this wealth some people could not tolerate it," she said.
Gowramma also expressed her family's sadness as for the first time, Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, an MP from a rural constituency in Bengaluru, were not home for Ganesh Chaturthi festivities. D K Suresh was with his brother in New Delhi today as the ED questioned Shivakumar for the third day.
ED refuses Shivakumar's plea
Every year on Ganesh Chaturthi the family of Shivakumar pays respect to Kempe Gowda. Shivakumar on Saturday had asked the ED for relief from appearing on Monday given the festival. He cited the family tradition of offering prayers to ancestors. However, his plea was refused by the ED. The Enforcement Directorate's refusal to Shivakumar's plea was also condemned by former Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy on Twitter.
Read: HD Kumaraswamy slams ED's summons to DK Shivakumar on Ganesh Chaturthi
D K Shivakumar has been accused of alleged money laundering
Last September ED had filed a money laundering case against DK Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah (Employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi), and others. The case was filed based on a charge sheet (prosecution complaint) filed by the Income Tax (IT) Department before a special court in Bengaluru on the charges of alleged tax evasion and hawala transaction worth crores. The IT department had accused Shivakumar and his associate S K Sharma of transporting a big amount of unaccounted tax through 'hawala' channels with the help of three other accused in the case.
(With inputs from PTI)
15:58 IST, September 2nd 2019