‘If Karnataka CM does not go, we’ll drag him to court’

With a slew of scams coming to light allegedly involving the families of chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and IT and BT minister, Katta Subramanya  Naidu, opposition Congress and JD(S) have launched an offensive, gunning for the heads of chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and Naidu.

Alleging that the chief minister abused his power to denotify 1.2 acres of land notified by the BDA for the proposed Arkavathi Layout in Rachenahalli village of KR Puram hobli in Bangalore, to enable his sons BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra and son-in-law Sohan Kumar to purchase it at a throw-away prices, JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy said, “There are more such scams that will be exposed in the coming days.”

Kumaraswamy added that there was evidence to show that the chief minister had misused his powers. He said that Yeddyurappa would do well to accept moral responsibility for the lapse and step down immediately. “This is a clear case of nepotism, favouritism and illegality,” Kumaraswamy said, alleging that the chief minister had lost the moral right to continue in office.

“We will take this scam to court if the chief minister does not step down. We will also meet governor HR Bhardwaj and file a complaint seeking the dismissal of Yeddyurappa’s corrupt government,” Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the BJP government had made de-notification of lands into a business of sorts. Ever since it assumed power in 2008, 2,300 acres of land had been denotified in and around Bangalore, he said. “When chief minister BS Yeddyurappa conducts city tours, I have suspected that the purpose is not inspecting developmental works, but making an assessment of vacant lands available to make a deal,” Kumaraswamy alleged.

Leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah and senior Congress leader VS Ugrappa launching a scathing attack on the BJP government, said, “This government is full of corrupt ministers and fraudsters. After Halappa, Ramachandre Gowda, SN Krishnaiah Shetty and Katta Subramanya Naidu, it is now the turn of chief minister Yeddyurappa himself. He has violated all norms.”