Bengaluru North Congress candidate Rajeev Gowda on Saturday, March 30 demanded the immediate removal of Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, citing mounting allegations of corruption and involvement in money laundering cases. The party alleged that Shobha was embroiled in a money laundering case with Rs 105 crore kickbacks. Approximately Rs 47 crore was allegedly traced back to her out of an unaccounted sum of Rs 87 crore, according to Rajeev.
Rajeev Gowda, who is contesting against Shobha, questioned the BJP government's decision to appoint her as a Minister, suggesting that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case against her had been concealed from the public. “This is not an attack on her personally. This is an attack on the brazen misuse of agencies and destruction of democratic traditions that we are witnessing under BJP.”
The case dates back to March 2014 when ED initiated an investigation into a money laundering case. Shobha was questioned regarding her financial dealings with a private firm, Itasca Software Company, which had connections with former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu. During the investigation of the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) land scam involving Naidu, the ED served notices to individuals suspected of amassing illegal wealth, including Shobha. She had moved the Karnataka High Court, contesting the allegations against her. However, the ED challenged her writ petition and the trial is on.
In 2019, during her nomination from the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, Shobha listed this case in her affidavit, stating "Not applicable (private complaint before magistrate)." Gowda accused her of providing misleading information and violating election laws.
After protests from the BJP cadre in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Shobha was shifted to the Bengaluru North constituency. Former Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda who was previously contesting from this seat was dropped after he announced his retirement from electoral politics.