Opposition slams BJP’s "attempts" to influence Lokayukta

PTI

Bangalore, 16 July 2011: Opposition parties in Karnataka today slammed alleged attempts by some BJP leaders to influence Lokayukta Santosh Hegde into not indicting Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in connection with illegal mining and called for the Chief Minister’s resignation.

 

Congress and JD(U) also demanded that Higher Education Minister V S Acharya and State’s Special Representative in Delhi V Dhananjaya Kumar be dropped immediately for "mounting pressure" on Lokayukta, who is set to submit his final report on illegal mining by this month-end.

 

KPCC President G Parameshwara, who called for axing Acharya and Dhananjaya Kumar, said his party would not take the matter lightly and will explore the legal route to address the issue.

 

"We will examine the various legal options", he said and urged the Lokayukta himself to initiate action against the BJP government as per the Constitution. State unit JD(U) President M P Nadagouda, also flayed the action of BJP leaders, saying this showed how desperate and shameless the administration had become in the face of serious allegations of corruption.

 

JD(S)leader H D Kumaraswamy said Hegde’s statement had vindicated his earlier charge that BJP government had been misusing constitutionally created institutions to cover up its corruption and misdeeds.

 

Yesterday, while speaking to a section of the press, Hegde had alleged that Dhananjayakumar tried to influence him into not indicting Yeddyurappa for  illegal mining and that Acharya and another leader had accompanied him.