Bengaluru, May 22 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said that state Home Minister G. Parameshwara may have given money to Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who is involved in the gold smuggling case, as a wedding gift. Speaking to the media here on Thursday on the issue of ED raids at Parameshwara-owned educational institutions being linked to Ranya Rao, Shivakumar said, “I visited Home Minister Parameshwara this morning and spoke to him. He told me that he had given Rs 15 to 25 lakh. We are all in public life. Many of us run trusts. During marriages and other occasions, it is common to give gifts.”

When specifically asked whether Parameshwara had given money to Ranya Rao, the main accused in the gold smuggling case, Shivakumar replied, “He might have given it to her. There were marriage ceremonies in their family, and he could have given it as a gift.” “When I met Parameshwara, I asked him about it, and he told me that the money was gifted during a marriage. That’s quite natural,” he reiterated. “That doesn’t mean an influential person like Parameshwara would have asked her to carry out gold smuggling. Will anyone support such an act? If that woman has done something wrong, she will be punished according to the law,” Shivakumar said.

“We have no objection to legal action being taken against her. As far as Parameshwara is concerned, he is a law-abiding citizen and the Home Minister of the state. We are proud of him. He is a senior leader,” he added. Shivakumar further said, “He served as the State Congress President for eight years and has contributed significantly to the state. He has been an MLA since 1989, along with me, and has served as a minister. I have known him for a long time -- he is an honest and clean man. If he gave anything, it would have been a wedding gift.”“ I met him this morning and told him that we stand by him,” he added.

“In public life, we often give wedding gifts ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 lakh. He might have done the same. There’s nothing wrong with that. No minister or politician will support the actions of the woman involved. It is her personal matter, and the law will take its own course,” he reiterated. “As far as Parameshwara is concerned, he meets thousands of people every day. He may not know everyone’s background. The law will take its own course, and we don’t intend to interfere,” Shivakumar said. This development is likely to stir controversy, as the opposition BJP has already linked the gold smuggling case with the ED raids on educational institutions owned by Home Minister Parameshwara.

Earlier in the day, Parameshwara declined to comment on the alleged linking of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at his institutions to the gold smuggling case involving actress Ranya Rao. Speaking to the media here, Parameshwara, when asked about the raids being conducted in connection with the gold smuggling case involving actress Ranya Rao, said, “The investigation is ongoing. The outcome at the end is what matters. Until then, everything is speculative.” He said, "As a person holding a responsible position, I will not make speculative remarks.” Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continued its raids for the second consecutive day on educational institutions linked to Parameshwara in Tumakuru city.

While ED sources confirmed that the raids and search operations were being conducted in connection with financial transactions related to the gold smuggling case involving actress Ranya Rao, official confirmation was awaited. Sources have revealed that the ED has found out that a payment of Rs 40 lakh was made to Ranya Rao's account from the Educational trust linked to Minister Parameshwara. Sources further claimed that the payment was made as per the oral instructions. The credit card bill payment of Rs 40 lakh was cleared by the Educational institution, and it is shown as payment made for providing workers, sources revealed.

The official statement is yet to be made in this regard and is expected once the raids are over. While addressing a press conference, Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka said the "Siddhartha Educational Institutions are being investigated in connection with the gold smuggling case". "The ED is a government investigating agency. It is established in the investigation that the gold was brought here and given to many persons. They might have got the information on the gold smuggling money being invested in the Siddhartha Education institutions," Ashoka stated.

“Action must be taken against everyone involved. Congress leaders are not afraid even in cases like the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Valmiki Corporation scams. Those guilty must be made to face the consequences,” he said. Coming down heavily on the Central government over the ED raids on educational institutions run by Minister Parameshwara, the Congress dubbed it an act of frustration by the BJP. National General Secretary and Karnataka In-Charge Randeep Singh Surjewala took to social media X on Wednesday, saying, "The ED raids on the Educational Institutions of Karnataka’s Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, one of the tallest SC Leaders, is a frustrated reaction of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Govt to giving of ownership rights to 1 Lakh SC-ST families yesterday (May 20) at Hospet."