"Serious development": TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on FIR ordered against Nirmala Sitharaman in electoral bond case

New Delhi [India], September 28 : With a Bengaluru Court ordering registration of FIR against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said it is "serious development" and said that the opposition parties have been stating that the government has been misusing probe agencies.
"This is a very serious development because the Court has ordered FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman over poll bond extortion allegation. We have been saying it from day one that the central government is misusing the central agencies... The responsibility must be taken by the union finance minister and also the PM," Ghosh told reporters.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said they will monitor the case.
"We raised the issue in Parliament that they took electoral bonds by intimidating people through ED, CBI... Someone has taken the issue to the court. We will see what happens to the case," Kharge said.
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called for Sitharaman's resignation following a Bengaluru Court order to file an FIR against the Union Minister and other leaders for allegedly extorting money through the now scrapped electoral bonds.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Siddaramaiah asked why Karnataka BJP had not been protesting against Sitharaman and asking for her resignation.
"Addressing a press conference after Mysore district progress review meeting yesterday. The Court of People's Representatives has issued an order to file an FIR against Union Minister Nirmala Sitharamana in connection with the electoral bond scam. When will the leaders protest and march for her resignation, Karnataka BJP? If there is an impartial investigation into this case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also have to resign. Let Kumaraswamy, who is on bail, also resign," he said in a post in X.
Kumaraswamy hit back at Siddaramaiah.
"CM asking for my and Nirmala Sitharaman's resignation? Yes, the Court asked to file an FIR but did that electoral bond money go to her personal account? Why should she resign and why should I resign?" the former Karnataka chief minister said.
Earlier on Friday, a Bengaluru court had ordered the filing of an FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman and others for allegedly extorting money through electoral bonds.
This came in the wake of a petition filed by Adarsh Iyer of Janadhikar Sangharsh Parishad (JSP) to the Special Court of People's Representatives seeking a direction to take action against the Union Minister.
Following the hearing, the court ordered the Tilak Nagar police station in Bengaluru to register an FIR.