'BJP conspiring against Opposition as it fears losing election': Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 22 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar alleged that the BJP was resorting to forcible suppression of the opposition as it fears losing the upcoming general elections.
Addressing a joint press conference at the KPCC office in Karnataka's Bengaluru along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and AICC General Secretary Randeep Surjewala on Friday, Shivakumar said, "The BJP is arresting sitting Chief Ministers, seizing the accounts of opposition parties and misusing governors as it is fearing loss in the upcoming election."
"We are working in a democratic setting. We enrolled 78 lakh people for the Congress party. We collected about Rs 90 crore from the party workers. We also collected Rs 2 lakh each from the MLA ticket aspirants during the Assembly elections, which amounted to Rs 20 crore. All that money has been seized by the BJP," he said.
He further alleged that the ruling BJP seized around Rs 290 crore 'under the pretext' of Income Tax violation.
"Our party has only 11 per cent of the contribution from electoral bonds, while the BJP has 57 per cent. When we are struggling to pay the employees of the party, the BJP has seized Rs 290 crore in bank accounts under the pretext of an IT violation. The party is not able to provide advertisements for the elections. We are not getting relief from the courts either. I have not seen politics stoop to this level in the last 40 years. The BJP is using force against the opposition just to save itself from a defeat," he said.
Shivakumar also said that the party condemns the BJP's 'highhandedness'.
"The BJP had done the India Shining Campaign in the run-up to 2004, but the Congress won the elections. The BJP is scared that they will lose this election in the same manner. The Congress party condemns the highhandedness of the BJP. Prime Minister Modi was accusing our guarantee schemes and now he has stolen our guarantee schemes and is advertising about it. The people are aware of our work and we are confident that they will support us," he added.
Speaking at the press conference, CM Siddaramaiah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP of 'not respecting democracy'.
"Modi, RSS and the BJP, from the beginning, were not respecting democracy. Their actions, several times, have proven this. Their hidden agenda is known. They (the BJP) collect money from the public. They have to run the party. They seized the bank account of a party like Congress, which has a long history so that we couldn't campaign or advertise for the elections," he said.
"This is highly condemnable. This is against our Constitution. They are against democracy. This is happening against the constitution and rules. Freezing a party's account isn't good.
Why do they do this? They started feeling the fear of losing the Lok Sabha election," Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister also criticised PM Modi for not responding to electoral bond data published by the Election Commission of India.
"The electoral bond data published by the ECI clearly shows the BJP is the number one party that made huge money from it. But Modi did not say anything on this. This party is been accused. Why is Mr Modi not speaking on the electoral bonds? Even though the CAA notification was applied, why did this happen just before the election? CAA is against the constitution, and the Modi government is applying it against the constitution," he said.
The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases starting on April 19. Karnataka will vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7. Counting of votes on June 4.