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Bitcoin scam: Guilty will be punished mercilessly, says Karnataka CM Bommai

Challenges Cong to name ’influential people’ involved in Bitcoin scam, says it was BJP that exposed case first

BENGALURU: A day after Congress national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at

the Bharatiya Janata Party over the brewing Bitcoin scam which has created a furore in Karnataka politics , Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday reiterated that his government will act against all those involved in the scam. 

Speaking to mediapersons after participating in a function organised to mark the birth anniversary of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru here, Bommai said that there was no question of his government sparing anyone involved in the case. 

"Our government is open on this issue. We are the ones who had exposed the case. It is our government which recommended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the case. ED is already conducting the probe and the CBI has taken it to the Interpol as well. All the

necessary information has been provided to these agencies," Bommai elaborated.

"If those involved are found to have perpetrated any fraud on the interests of the country, state or any individuals, we will act mercilessly against them," Bommai asserted.

Responding to questions raised by Surjewala, who is also AICC in-charge of Karnataka, Bommai said that the State Government does not need lessons from a party which allowed the accused to go scot-free. "We have replied to his (Surjewala’s) six questions. If the case had a Karnataka connect since 2016, why did their own government not probe the case then? Why did the then Congress chief minister and ministers not pay attention to it? They released Srikrishna, the accused, who was arrested. They could have acted seriously even when the accused had sought anticipatory bail. Why are you (Congress) raising all the questions with us after deliberately allowing the case to attain mega proportion? We need not learn lessons from those who allowed the accused to go scot-free," Bommai thundered.

He also challenged the Congress leaders to name those it has alleged are involved in the scam. "The Congress says there are some influential people involved in it. If you know them, then name them. We will investigate it without any second thought," he added.

"Surjewala’s efforts to project the issue as a major scam reflects his intellectual bankruptcy. It is not appropriate for a national spokesperson of a national party to indulge in such an act just based on a Twitter handle. He should speak with circumstantial evidence," Bommai said. 

Replying to questions on confusion about the seized Bitcoins, Bommai said that the accused Srikrishna had claimed an account of a Bitcoin exchange as his own personal account.