DK Shivakumar admits ₹25 lakh donation to National Herald. ‘It’s our party's newspaper,' he says

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar confirmed a ₹25 lakh donation to the National Herald, amid an ED investigation involving Congress leaders.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday confirmed that he donated ₹25 lakh to the National Herald newspaper, which is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an ongoing investigation involving top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. (PTI)

Here is what DK Shivakumar said

“Yes, I have donated ₹25 lakh to National Herald newspaper. Even my brother DK Suresh had donated to it. The newspaper is run by our party, hence we donated to it. We donated from our hard-earned money — there is nothing wrong in it,” Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.

According to reports, the ED has not officially named Shivakumar as an accused yet, but his statement was recorded during the probe. He has maintained that he acted on the directions of former AICC treasurer Pawan Bansal and was not aware of the operational details of Young Indian, the company under investigation.

The probe also draws in Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who is alleged to have influenced or instructed multiple individuals to donate to Young Indian. ED sources have reportedly identified around ₹80 lakh in donations made under his direction.The donations are now being scrutinized to determine whether they were genuine political contributions or part of a financial arrangement potentially involving money laundering.

In a significant move earlier this week, the ED issued fresh summons to multiple donors linked to the case, including those believed to have contributed under the influence of senior Congress leaders. The agency has also requested financial records from Young Indian for the last ten years to assess discrepancies between declared donations and actual fund movements.