Shivakumar accuses BJP govt of vendetta politics; says he will be victorious legally, politically

Accusing the BJP government of indulging in vendetta politics, Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who is currently in Enforcement Directorate custody, on Tuesday exuded confidence that he will emerge victorious both legally and politically.

He also thanked party leaders and supporters for standing behind him and urged them to hold a peaceful protest in Bengaluru on Wednesday and not cause any inconvenience to common people.

"I would like to reiterate that I have done nothing wrong & am a target of vendetta politics. With the support and blessings that I am receiving from all of you, and my belief in God and our judiciary, I have full faith that I will emerge victorious both legally and politically (sic)," a tweet from Shivakumar's Twitter handle read.

"I wholeheartedly thank leaders, supporters, well-wishers and friends who have organised a massive protest in my support tomorrow in Bengaluru. I humbly request that the protest be peaceful and doesn't cause any inconvenience to citizens. Please ensure public property isn't harmed (sic)," he said on the microblogging site.

Shivakumar who is a former Karnataka Cabinet minister was arrested by the ED on September 3 and he is in the agency's custody.

According to officials, the probe agency has summoned his daughter Aishwarya in connection with its money-laundering probe against him. They said the 22-year-old management graduate has been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case in New Delhi on September 12.

The central agency in September last year had registered a money-laundering case against Shivakumar and Haumanthaiah, an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others.

This criminal case was filed based on an income-tax department charge sheet filed against Shivakumar and others before a court in Bengaluru for alleged tax evasion and hawala charges.

The Congress has already accused the accused the BJP government of indulging in targeted political vendetta against opposition leaders.