MLC denies link to diary detailing payments

A Karnataka Congress lawmaker has denied that a purported diary with notes about alleged payments of over Rs 600 crore made to his party high command had been recovered from his house. The Income Tax (I-T) department had claimed to have found the diary from Legislative Council member K Govindarajuin’s residence in March 2016. Govindarajuin, who is a close associate of Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, insisted that there is no link between him and the diary with details of payments made in New Delhi over the last two years. “The allegations against me in the name of the diary are without proof. The I-T department did not recover any diary when it conducted searches,’’ he said. “This is a created diary. It has not my handwriting either. I have stated this to the I-T officials as well.’’

Opposition BJP has targeted rulingcongressoverthediary.bjp statechiefbsyeddyurappahasalleged that the diary contains information regarding payments of Rs 1,000 crore made to the Congress high command. He insistedthatthecongressministers in Karnataka had collected the money. “The shady deals of Siddaramaiah will be exposed when the details of the diary emerge soon through Enforcement Directorate and CBI investigations,”yeddyurappasaid. The I-T department has questionedseveralcongressministers in connection with the diary.

Siddaramaiah has dismissed BJP’S allegations as irresponsible. The Congress launched Satyameva Jayate campaign this week to defend its leaders. The campaign was launched after a video showed Yeddyurappa and BJP leader Ananth Kumar discussing use of the diary as an election issue in 2018.

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