Congress hungry for power to hush up graft cases: Karnataka CM

BALEHONNUR:  BJP has the moral strength to give full powers to the Lokayukta while Congress wants to come to power to hush up their corruption cases, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, reacting to the Grand Old Party leaders demanding his resignation after Rs 8 crore unaccounted cash was seized from Channagiri MLA Madal Viru­pak­­shappa’s residence and his son was trapped while accepting a bribe. 

Speaking to mediapersons in at Balehonnur in Chik­kamagaluru district on Sunday, Bommai alleged that a minister of the previous Congress government, Puttarangashetty, had accepted a bribe of Rs 25 lakh in Vidhana Soudha. “Did the then chief minister Siddaramaiah resign? If Lokayukta had existed then, the minister would have been arrested. But they weakened the anti-corruption institution to hush up such cases,” he alleged.

Congress on Saturday had laid seige to the CM’s residence in Bengaluru, protesting against alleged corruption in the government. “People know who and why they were protesting. The party (Congress) has been doing it to come back to power and hush up their cases. They have been involved in murder, extortion, corruption, and plundering. Around 59 cases of the then Congress government have been referred to the Lokayukta, and the truth will come out,” he said.

Asked about seeking Virupakshappa’s resignation, he said no decision has been taken. Calling the unveiling of Shivaji statue again by MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar “ridiculous”, he said the statue has been built using government grants, and inaugurated formally. “No one has heard of re-inaugurating after it was formally thrown open for public. This shows their hunger for power,” he said. Commenting on the arrest of an absconding accused in the Praveen Nettaru  case, the CM said that the government has shared all details with NIA, who have made the arrest.

Welfare pitch as bommai vows to make K’taka No. 1

Tumakuru : Listing out various welfare schemes implemented by the state government over the last three years, CM Basavaraj Bommai promised to make Karnataka number 1 in the country. Speaking at a samavesha of government schemes beneficiaries, he reiterated his budgetary promises of transferring Rs 1,000 every month to the accounts of landless poor women, scheme to make youths skilled, and 2,000 school buses for rural children.

He also inaugura­ted projects worth Rs 900 crore including the new stadium and library under the smart city project, and undertook an oath to era­dicate poverty in the state and establish a ‘Samriddha Karnataka’. “The amount under various central government schemes are being deposited directly in the accounts of benefic­iar­ies. The central govern­ment has given Rs 16,000 crore to arou­nd 53.43 lakh farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi,” he said. Even as Bommai was spea­k­ing, people began walking out of the venue, which be­c­ame an embarrassment for the organisers, who asked the police to close the gates.