Karnataka Deputy CM's Donation to National Herald Sparks Political Controversy

On Friday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar disclosed a donation of Rs 25 lakh to the National Herald, a newspaper associated with his party. "I donated Rs 25 lakh to the National Herald, a newspaper run by our party. My brother and I, along with our trust, have supported the publication financially," Shivakumar confirmed to the media.

The National Herald remains embroiled in scrutiny by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of a continuing probe targeting senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. This revelation follows Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy being named in the ED's chargesheet related to the case.

Furthermore, Telangana's BRS working president, K.T. Rama Rao, accused the state of being exploited by Congress, whom he dubbed "Scamgress." Rao insisted that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is involved in corrupt practices. He shared documentation on social media questioning if the NDA Government will hold Reddy accountable this time.

In other developments, the ED laid out its initial arguments at Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court concerning the complaint against Congress leaders. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju asserted that money laundering offenses are apparent, pointing to ongoing criminal activity generating illicit proceeds.

Proceedings are now scheduled to continue day-to-day from July 2 to July 8, following the defence's voluminous 5,000-page document submission. Special Judge Vishal Gogne will preside over the hearings to deliberate the ED's prosecution complaint assertions.

(With inputs from agencies.)