Congress demands Lokpal probe into ‘Yeddy diaries’

NEW DELHI:Media reports on alleged diary entries bearing former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yedyurappa’s signatures triggered a fresh political row today with the Congress seeking a Lokpal probe into the issue and the BJP trashing the entire matter as a web of lies.

PM Narendra Modi should come forward and clarify whether bribes to the tune of Rs 1,800 crore were taken by the top BJP leaders as mentioned in the diaries. — Randeep Surjewala, Cong spokesperson

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 22

Media reports on alleged diary entries bearing former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yedyurappa’s signatures triggered a fresh political row today with the Congress seeking a Lokpal probe into the issue and the BJP trashing the entire matter as a web of lies.

After Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala cited 2009 diary entries to allege that top BJP leaders from PM Narendra Modi down to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley received illegal money and the matter needed to be investigated, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress was desperate and had lost its balance.

“BS Yedyurappa was the CM of Karnataka between 2008 and 2011. The diary notings in question relate to Rs 1,800-crore payoffs to BJP central committee and party leaders. The Income Tax Department recovered these diary in raids in 2017, but did nothing based on its contents. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley perhaps did not grant the go-ahead. The diary contents show that PM Modi and other top BJP leaders received money. A case of corruption is prima facie made out. It is a fit case to be investigated as the first test case to find out the truth. Everyone will know chowkidar chor hai. The question is whether the watchman is ready to face the probe,” Surjewala said.

The BJP fielded Prasad to refute all allegations. Prasad cited documents to say that on August 2, 2014, raids were conducted on the premises of Karnataka Congress strongman DK Sivakumar, who handed over loose sheets of papers to the raiding officers.

“When Sivakumar was asked to prove the veracity of the loose sheets, he could not. The same loose sheets were flashed in the Congress press conference. Will Congress now base its entire politics on falsehoods and representations?” Prasad said.

After Congress drew linkages to former head of Central Board of Direct Taxes Sunil Chandra being recently appointed the Election Commissioner, the CBDT today issued a statement saying “Search and action under Section 132 of the Income Tax Act (1961) was carried out on DK Shivakumar and his group on August 2, 2017, by the IT Investigation Directorate of Karnataka and Goa. A large body of evidence of incriminating material was found against Sivakumar and his firm.”

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