Bengaluru: The Congress party on Friday defended Bengaluru Development Minister KJ George, amid demands of the opposition asking for his resignation.
George was earlier named in the FIR filed by the CBI in connection with the suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police M K Ganapathy.
Stating that there was no question of George’s resignation over the allegations, Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Friday reasoned that several BJP ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, had not resigned even after cases had been registered against them.
“I don’t think KJ George’s resignation is necessary. In the past, even BJP ministers who had cases registered against them did not resign as allegations were not proved,” Reddy told reporters.
State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had called for a special meeting with senior party leaders and ministers at 11 am on Friday in the backdrop of the CBI case against George. However, Reddy termed it as a regular meeting in which other issues were slated to be discussed.
The Congress also asserted that George, who had quit as home minister of the state after his name cropped up in the case, had done so on his own accord.
KJ George is at present the minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning.
DSP Ganapathy was found dead at Madikeri on July 7 last year, hanging from the ceiling of a lodge in the Kodagu district. Before his death, Ganapathy had blamed George and two senior police officers for harassing him and had made these claims in a TV interview.
Besides George, former IGP (Lokayukta) Pranov Mohanty and ex-ADG of police (state intelligence) A M Prasad have been named in the FIR.
Last month, the Supreme Court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a probe in the MK Ganapathy suicide case.
The central probe agency has been asked by the apex court to file a charge sheet in the next three months.
The Karnataka government had earlier opposed before the top court a plea, filed by Ganapathy’s father, urging a CBI probe.
The CID, which probed the alleged suicide case of Ganapathy, had given a clean chit to KJ George and the two senior IPS officials.
