Araga claims Cong used Sriki to rig Youth Cong poll, DK livid

By Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: The war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress on the Bitcoin Scam continues with KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar remarking that “Home Minister Araga Jnanendra is mad and talks nonsense. He is in serious need of treatment at NIMHANS.’’

Responding to the minister’s statement that he was informed by Congress leaders that the grand old party had used the alleged scam mastermind, Srikrishna to rig the election to the post of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress President, Shivakumar said that already, a written complaint about the scam has reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is an official letter which has the names of all those allegedly involved in the scam including family members of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, ministers, State BJP President Nalinkumar Kateel, MPs and others. ‘’First, let the home minister register a suo motu case in this regard and he can then talk about the Youth Congress election,’’ Shivakumar quipped.

The KPCC chief said Sriki was in jail when the Youth Congress election took place and wondered how he could have helped Mohammed Nalpad, one of the candidates. Asked about the possibility of a laptop or computer being provided to Srikrishna in the jail to hack the Youth Congress polls, Shivakumar said he had been saying the same thing. Sriki’s father had accused the cops of drugging his son in custody and had complained to the court in this regard. Even the hacker had admitted to giving a similar statement in court. Based on his statement, the court has ordered an investigation.

The Congress leader also claimed the cops did not follow the court’s directions to subject Sriki to a medical test at Victoria Hospital and got it done elsewhere citing COVID-19 reasons. The court had taken objection to this, he said and wondered who was responsible for this and on whose direction the medical test was done elsewhere? “Araga Jnanendra is acting in an immature manner and is talking like a schoolboy without realising that he is the state home minister”.

Asked whether the Congress would launch an agitation on the scam, Shivakumar said that since he was busy with the December 10 MLC election, his colleagues would handle the issue