Bengaluru: Siddu aide Somashekar puts off meeting of ‘like-minded’ MLAs
Bengaluru: It was a case of much ado about nothing as former chief minister Siddaramaiah's ardent supporter and BDA chairman, S T Somashekar, put off a meeting of 'like-minded' legislators where peeved chairpersons of boards and corporations planned to train their guns on Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, for not heeding to their pleas to replace key officers in the administration.
“I am clarifying that the meeting is not cancelled but only postponed. There are no directions from Mr Siddaramaiah against it (meeting), Mr Somashekar, who represents Yeshwanthpur in the Legislative Assembly, told Deccan Chronicle on Monday.
His major grouse: Mr Kumaraswamy has not given in to his demand to replace Mr Rakesh Singh, Commissioner, BDA, as the IAS officer has not functioned according to his directions or suggestions.
“Our meeting was not against the coalition government or the CM but was convened only to discuss our opinion. The meeting was scheduled to be held today (Monday) but stands postponed by two or three days as our legislator colleagues are busy in two Assembly by-polls, and it has become difficult for them to reach Bengaluru today. All suggestions will be compiled and submitted to our party bosses as well as to the government,” he added.
He alleged large-scale irregularities in Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) and a lackadaisical attitude of the Commissioner to problems of local residents of the state capital.
A senior officer was allegedly involved in illegal sale of around 40 plots worth crores of rupees. Another officer was charged with issuing TDR worth several crores of rupees without bringing it to the government's notice. It was a big scam which would be exposed in the near future. His demand to refer it to the Anti-Corruption Bureau was turned down, and instead a departmental probe was announced. He wished to expose such corrupt officers and technocrats at the meeting with 'like- minded' legislator, he said adding he never resorted to 'hit-and-run' politics and always spoke with documentary evidence.
This was not the first meeting convened by Mr Somashekar as he carried out a similar exercise sometime last year after being denied a berth in the ministry. The CLP leader, however, prevailed upon him to shelve the idea of hosting such hush-hush meetings as it would cause much embarrassment to the coalition government.
