Santosh Hegde's resignation unfortunate: Yeddyurappa

Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa today described as unfortunate the resignation of Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, but maintained that he could not give any commitment on granting suo motu powers to the institution.

"Hegde's resignation was unexpected and unfortunate...It has hurt me also...I cannot commit myself on the matter (granting suo motu powers to Lokayukta). I am not a dictator. We have to weigh pros and cons. It has to be discussed in the cabinet and come to a decision," Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

Hegde, known for his crusade against corruption and the mining lobby, had yesterday resigned from his post and flayed the ruling BJP for its "indifference" towards Lokayukta, meant for redressal of citizens' grievances against government officials.

Yeddyurappa said the demand by Lokayukta for suo motu powers to act against corrupt officials has been pending for long and wondered why the previous governments had not acted on it.

He claimed that his government maintained cordial relations with Lokayukta and did not curb any of its powers; instead it granted most of its wishes including filling of 292 posts and sanctioning of allowance of police officials attached to the institution wing, despite financial constraints.

On whether he would persuade Hegde to reconsider his decision, Yeddyurappa said he did not want to embarrass the former Supreme Court judge "by asking him to withdraw his resignation".