BSY-Ananth CD row: State govt may go for ACB probe

BENGALURU: Investigation into the alleged CD scam involving BJP State president  B S  Yeddyurappa and Union Minster for Chemicals and Fertilisers H N Ananth  Kumar is likely to be handed over to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.  Siddaramaiah government seems to be preparing the ground for it.Chief  Minister Siddaramaiah held a prolonged meeting with Home Minister  Ramalinga Reddy, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar and Advisor to Home Minister Kempaiah on Monday morning in the backdrop of  the report submitted by Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) confirming that the voices of the conversation recorded in the CDs matched  with the voice samples of Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar. 

The CD contained conversation between Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar about  money being paid to BJP national leaders when Yeddyurappa was the Chief  Minister. Siddaramaiah discussed the FSL report submitted to City Cyber Police and sought the opinion of  Kempaiah and Suneel Kumar about handing over  the case to ACB for further investigation, sources said. 

Speaking to Express, Ramalinga Reddy said that City top cop Suneel Kumar was verifying the files and the report submitted by FSL. He would decide the future course of action over the case.However, Siddaramaiah refused to comment on the deliberations at  the meeting and just said, “I am not a policeman to register a case or  take action against Yeddyurappa or Ananth Kumar. Police will take  appropriate action after going through FSL report.’

Siddu cannot scare us with ACB: Ananth
BJP has accused Siddaramaiah of imposing an undeclared emergency in the state to crush political opponents. “But he cannot scare us by slapping cases or misusing ACB to file false cases of corruption. We will not be cowed down by these threats and we will take this fight through every forum available in a democratic system,” Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar said.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s reported moves to hand over the CD case to ACB, Ananth Kumar said the Chief Minister is misusing his power to force ACB not to proceed in the cases related to himself (Siddu) and his ministerial colleagues while trying to implicate the opposition leaders and fast track their cases. BJP would explore the option of fighting the case legally and also launching an agitation against misuse of ACB by Siddara-maiah, he said.