Bengaluru: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar met Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted a memorandum against the Congress government for misusing Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the state.
Speaking to media persons after submitting the memorandum to the Governor, Union Minister Ananth Kumar has alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been misusing the ACB to silence his political opponents. “The Chief Minister has been misusing the ACB by registering false cases against BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa,’’ Ananth Kumar said.
The Union Minister said that KAS officer H Basavarajendra has complained to Chief Secretary that the two deputy superintendents of police in the anti-corruption bureau is putting pressure on him to give a statement against Yeddyurappa in the Shivaram Karanth layout land denotification case.
“The Karnataka High Court has cancelled the plan of formation of Shivaram Karanth Layout. The ACB officials are telling that Yeddyurappa has denotified 250 acres of land. The High Court, based on the landowners’ plea, has cancelled the proposal to form Shivaram Karanth Layout with 3,500 acres of land. When the plan itself was cancelled, where the question of misusing power to denotify 250 acres of land?’’ he asks.
He has also made it clear that Siddaramaiah was the chief minister when the High Court cancelled the proposal of Shivaram Karanth Layout. “The government did not appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s order. There was an allegation that government lawyers did not even appear in the High Court to defend the government’s decision to form Shivaram Karanth Layout,’’ the union minister said.
He said the above incidents would point the finger at the government. “The entire episode makes people to doubt the credibility of the state government and certainly not former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. It clearly indicates that state government has misused the ACB to trouble Yeddyurappa’’ he said.
Coming down heavily on Siddaramaiah government for misusing the official machinery, he said Siddaramaiah government has been indulging in telephone tapping and the law and order in the state has been deteriorated. “BJP and RSS activists are being killed in the state. M Kempaiah, the advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other police officials have been misusing their power. Issuing the notices to Yeddyurappa is a part of this conspiracy. I request Governor to intervene and protect constitutional bodies,’’ he said.
Why fear?
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accompanied by PWD Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa and KPCC Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao in support of Congress candidate C.M. Ibrahim to file nomination papers for the Legislative Council, has questioned why the BJP leaders are afraid to appear before the ACB officials.
“It is BJP leaders who misuse the constitutional bodies. Let Yeddyurappa appear before the ACB officials if he has any document. Let him appear before the ACB officials to appear before the ACB officials if he did not commit any mistake. The BJP leaders, who are known for misusing the constitutional bodies, are of the opinion that we are misusing the ACB. We will not misuse the ACB,’’ Siddaramaih said.
