Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai attacks opposition, says Congress govt made Lokayukta dormant

MYSURU: Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the state government could not scrap the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) as promised in the manifesto as a case was pending in the high court even as he accused Congress of trying to continue the ACB even after the HC scrapped it.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Bommai said the Siddaramaiah government made the Lokayukta dormant by using the provisions contained under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 to set up the ACB and transferred all the cases to the newly created body. For 30 months Lokayukta had no case to act upon, he said.
"Since the ACB's constitution was questioned in the HC, the state government could not act upon the manifesto. We were waiting for the disposal of the petition," he said.
"Senior Congress leader KJ George has said on the floor of the assembly that the state government should have questioned the HC ruling on scrapping of the ACB. In fact, Congress tried to retain the ACB by asking a person to file a petition against the HC order in the SC. But the apex court did not entertain the petition.
While Congress' hidden agenda was to continue with the ACB, we implemented the HC order and strengthened the anti-graft institution. It displays our moral commitment to fight corruption," he said. Bommai said money was recovered from Congress minister Puttrangashetty's office in Vidhana Soudha but Congress buried it.
"Let them explain what action they took against their MLA," he said. Asked about the high court granting interim anticipatory bail to BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa, he said since the case is pending in court, he will not comment about it.
Bommai said he will not respond to rumours that some BJP ministers will quit the party. He hit back at Congress floor leader Siddaramaiah for calling Vijayasankalpa Yatra as 40% yatra. He said, "Congress' is 100 per cent Prajadhwani Yatra."
Masks not mandatory
CM Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the state government is not looking to make face masks mandatory in public spaces in the wake of H3N2 influenza. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said the government is studying about the preventive measures adopted by other state governments and will take preventive measures.
He said the Centre has advised the government in the wake of rise in the H3N2 cases following which the state government has stocked medicines and taken other measures.