From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Feb 26: Jumping into the Diary War between ruling Congress and opposition BJP leaders in Karnataka over the alleged revelations regarding to the payoffs to the party high command as found in the diary seized by the Income Tax Department from the residence of Congress MLC Govindaraju, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at the Centre to initiate legal action.

“Modi, Arun Jaitley or any BJP Central leaders are free to take any legal action on the contents of the Diary or the persons to whom the payments were allegedly made and recorded in the Diary,’’ Singh said and wondered whether Modi or Jaitely are prepared to vouch for the diary and whether it is indeed “genuine.’’

Digvijay Singh, who is the AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, while addressing a coordination committee meeting of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee in Bengaluru on Sunday, said the Modi government, which controls the IT Department, Enforcement Directorate or the CBI was “free to initiate any kind of probe and punish the guilty.’’

“But we will not accept witch-hunting or fishing expedition to malign and tarnish the image of the Congress party or its leaders,’’ he declared.

The high-level State Coordination Committee of the KPCC at its meeting discussed at length alleged “diary revelations’’ and said investigations into alleged diary, which purportedly mentioned payments to the party high command, had been closed about 11 months ago.

“But the investigation commenced again owing to pressure by the Prime Minister’s office,” he said and made it clear that Govindaraju had himself denied the existence of the diary besides stating that the handwriting in the diary as per the documents released by State BJP President and former BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who himself was jailed over the corruption charges, was not his.

“Facts as claimed in the revelations are false. Entire diary is fake. The diary is planted by the Income Tax authorities,” Singh told reporters after the three-hour meeting with coordination panel members, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Investigating agencies such as Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate have been functioning under the directions of the Centre and misused to further the political ends of the ruling party at the Centre, he contended.

“Let the Centre investigate the matter and take action against Congress leaders if contents in the diary were true and genuine,’’ he said and asked the Centre to refer the diary to the Forensic Science Experts to establish its genuineness.

The BJP MPs and Ministers have been conspiring against the Government and tarnishing the image of the good works of the Congress government by raising the fake diary after the closure the investigation.

“What’s about the Lehar Singh diary? Was it investigated?’’ he asked and said the IT Department had found the diary at the then BJP State Treasurer’s residence during the raids conducted in November 2013.

Digvijay Singh, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka, said the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) will hold conferences in cities of north Karnataka, preferably in Hubballi and Belagavi, to prepare the party’s strategy in the 2018 Assembly polls, after the ensuing Budget session of the State legislature next month.

Out of 166 promises made by the party during the 2013 poll manifesto, the State Government had implemented 136 promises (85 per cent), he said and claimed that the Congress party delivers on its promises to the people unlike the several promises by Modi during the run-up to the 2014 lok sabha polls, which were yet to be implemented even after three years.