After the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raid against Karnataka Home Minister G Parmeshwar Rao in connection with the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has stirred a fresh row by claiming that the action resulted from a complaint by someone from inside the Congress, according to an NDTV report.

He said, "The Congress's own complained to the Enforcement Directorate." Joshi asked, "Who is writing letters to the Enforcement Directorate to take action?"

Joshi said that a faction in Congress is providing information against Parmeshwar and was later doing drama. Calling the Karnataka Home Minister a decent man, Joshi alleged that Siddaramaiah knew about it.

He said, "A faction within the Congress is sending information against Parameshwar and now doing drama. Let me say this clearly, we respect Parameshwara. He is a decent politician. But there are people within the Congress who are sending complaints. Siddaramaiah knows. The intelligence is under him. Ask him. Now he is doing drama."

The central agency raided the educational institutions linked to the Karnataka Home Minister on Wednesday.

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ED is investigating the money laundering charges in the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actor Ranya Rao. The probe agency claimed they have found that an educational trust diverted Rs 40 lakh as payment for the credit card bill of the Kannada actor. The ED also claimed that the payment took place on the instructions of an influential individual.

Reportedly, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar met the home minister on Thursday and explained to him that the payment was a wedding gift to Ranya Rao.

He said, "I just spoke to Parameshwara, there was a marriage (ceremony), we are in public life, we run institutions. As a gesture to people we know, we give lots of gifts, we give Re 1, Rs 10, Rs 10 lakh, Rs 5 lakh. I think he might have also given a gift. It was a marriage, nothing wrong in it."

Meanwhile, Parmeshwara said that he would cooperate in the investigation. Congress has criticised the BJP, alleging that it is politicising the issue to target the government.

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