karnataka Lokayukta corruption case: Congress trying to persuade Lokayukta to step down voluntarily
Belagavi/Bengaluru: As the opposition BJP and JD(S) steps up pressure on the government for a CBI probe into Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao, Deccan Chronicle has learnt that the Congress party is quietly trying to persuade the Lokayukta to step down voluntarily.
Opposition leaders insisted in Belagavi on Thursday that the Lokayukta must step down as he faces charges of impropriety after his son Ashwin Rao was alleged to be involved in an extortion racket.
Both the BJP and JD(S) have accused the government of partisan behaviour with JD(S) senior member Basavaraj Horatti wanting to know why the government was protecting the Lokayukta.
The move to get Justice Rao to go voluntarily has the blessings of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a senior leader admitted to Deccan Chronicle. In public, however both Law and parliamentary affairs minister T.B. Jayachandra and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday not only dismissed the opposition demand to order a CBI probe into the episode they also took a stand that no section of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act facilitates impeachment of Justice Rao.
Former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde countered the government's view, saying the incumbent Lokayukta could be removed by invoking some of the sections of the same act. But signalling the party's thinking was changing, party MLCs V.S. Ugrappa, and H.M. Revanna held a press conference on Thursday afternoon where they requested Justice Rao to step down voluntarily. They said that in view of the series of allegations, it would be appropriate for him to resign on moral grounds.
Later in the evening, a message was conveyed to Justice Rao from the government to voluntarily step down. The message was sent through 'some mutually trustworthy channels.". Asked whether the government got any response from the other side, sources did not confirm anything. “We have to wait and see what will be his (Justice Rao) next move,” sources said.
Lokayukta Whistleblower getting death threats
The Executive Engineer of Mysuru Zilla Panchayat, M.N. Krishnamurthy, who exposed the corruption in the Lokayukta institution, is reportedly getting threat calls. Following this, the Lokayukta police have asked him to give a written complaint so that they could provide police protection.
