New Delhi, September 3: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested former Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar in a money laundering case. "Shivakumar was arrested on Tuesday evening following his questioning for the fourth time by the agency," an official told IANS. Known as Congress's troubleshooter, Shivakumar is accused of being involved in 'hawala' transactions in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. BJP Jealous of My Son's Growth, Alleges DK Shivakumar's Mother.

Soon after his arrest, two tweets were posted by Shivakumar's Twitter handle. In the tweet, Shivakaumr said he is a victim of vendetta politics. "I congratulate my BJP friends for finally being successful in their mission of arresting me. The IT and ED cases against me are politically motivated and I'm a victim of BJP's politics of vengeance and vendetta," Shivakumar tweeted. "I have full faith in God and in our country's Judiciary and am very confident that I will emerge victorious both legally and politically against this vendetta politics," he added.

DK Shivakumar's Tweets:

Shivakumar appeared before the ED for the fourth time on Tuesday in an alleged money laundering case. The ED had questioned the Congress leader on August 27, 28 and September 2. Shivakumar deposed before the financial probe agency August 27 for the first time after the Karnataka High Court rejected his petition for interim protection from arrest by the ED. He has been on the radar of the Income Tax Department and the ED since demonetisation in 2016. VG Siddhartha Death: Did CCD Founder's Friendship With DK Shivakumar Cost the Coffee King His Life?

In August 2017, the IT department had carried out a raid at Shivakumar's flat in Delhi and recovered unaccounted cash worth Rs 8.59 crore. Subsequently, he and his four other associates were booked under Sections 277 and 278 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and Sections 120(B), 193 and 199 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Based on the I-T Department chargesheet, the ED registered a money laundering case against Shivakumar.

The Congress, however, has denied all charges and accused the Modi government and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa of indulging in vindictive politics by targeting him and other state opposition leaders. On Monday, Shivakumar's mother Gowramma on Monday accused the BJP of being jealous about the growth of her son.

"They (BJP) lack empathy. The BJP and nobody else, is doing it (to Shivakumar). They are jealous that he is growing (politically) but we can't help it," Gowramma told reporters at her ancestral village in Kanakapura. A teary-eyed Gowramma claimed that they did not become wealthy overnight but had been rich from ages.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2019 08:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).