Bengaluru: The opposition BJP has decided to team up with the JD(S) in the legislature on Monday and will not back down till a CBI inquiry is ordered into the suicide of DySP M.K. Ganapati.
Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar said that he is trying to contact JD(S) floor leader H.D. Kumaraswamy and will seek his support in the Assembly. Even if the JD(S) wants to go alone, the BJP will fight it out till the issue reaches a logical end, he said.
“The government is adamant and nothing comes out of these inquiry commissions. In Arkavathy Layout scam, they formed Justice Kempanna Commission and nothing has moved forward. This will be a delaying tactic by the government and we will not fall for it. If the case is handed over to the CBI then we can consider withdrawing our protests,” Mr Shettar said.
“The combined opposition can put real pressure on the government, which has become thick skinned, and force it to hand over the case to CBI. There is a direct allegation against Minister K.J. George and two senior officers. Mr George should resign and two officers should be suspended,” he said.
JD(S) floor leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, who visited the houses of the two DySPs who committed suicide last week, said that he will rake up the issue pertaining to both of them. “This shows that law and order in the state has collapsed. When the police personnel themselves are harassed, where should the common man go? Mr Kallappa Handibag was innocent and Mr Ganapati's statement exposes the frustration levels among police officers. We cannot spare the government,” he said.
Sources in the Congress feel that the session may not function as scheduled because of the two suicides. Though the government had initially planned to turn the tables on the BJP, saying that a VHP man was the main culprit behind Mr Handibag’s suicide, they are struggling to handle the suicide of Mr Ganapati.
Though Mr Ganapati's brother Mr Thammaiah, a DySP, hinted at family problems behind the suicide, Mr Ganapati's wife has denied it. The Madikeri police also tried to take a police complaint from Mr Ganapati's father, Mr Kushalappa, in favour of the government, which was later contradicted by him. This has led to doubts that the government is trying to interfere in the case.
The other problem the Congress is facing is internal bickering because of the recent reshuffle, which has left many disappointed. This would leave Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues struggling hard to defend themselves on the floor of the House. The Congress feels that it should let go of the Legislature session instead of trying to defend itself, sources added.
