Belgaum: Denying that his government had illegally denotified land in Bengaluru’s Arkavathy Layout as alleged, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday accused the last BJP administration of involvement in the scam instead. “I am not involved in the denotification, it’s only the past BJP government which should be blamed for all the illegal denotification of land in the state,” he declared, speaking to reporters after campaigning in Khadaklat for the coming Chikkodi-Sadalga bypoll.
Targeting JDS leaders as well, he accused them of politicising the controversy over the KPSC appointments. “The family of H.D. Kumaraswamy is raking up the issue for ulterior motives. Those against the government’s decision on the KPSC examinations of 2011 should raise it in court instead of politicising the issue,” he said.
The Chief Minister dismissed the demand of pro-Marathi groups for a judicial inquiry into the violence in Yellur village near Belgaum over the removal of the ‘Maharashtra state’ board, stressing that Belgaum was an integral part of Karnataka and would always remain so.
Addressing a Congress rally earlier at Khadaklat, he said the Congress had fielded a strong candidate in Mr Ganesh Hukkeri for the Chikkodi-Sadalga bypoll to “finish off” the Katti brothers politically. “The atrocities of the Kattis in the constituency are crossing all limits and must be stopped. We fielded Ganesh Hukkeri not because he is the son of Prakash Hukkeri but because of his capabilities,” he maintained.
Calling the BJP a communal party he said it divided people on religious and communal lines and so nothing could be expected of it. “Mr Narendra Modi often says, ‘ache din’ will come, but there is no sign of them,” he added.
