Siddaramaiah misusing ACB to foist false cases against me: BS Yeddyurappa
Bengaluru: With the battle for the ballot getting more intense in the run-up to the 2018 state polls, BJP state president, B.S.Yeddyurappa on Friday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of using the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to file false cases against him and stop him from taking on his government on issues of corruption.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is using the ACB to file cases against me. The government has reopened 10 -year -old denotification cases against me, but I will not run away. Like other Chief Ministers, I too denotified land to protect the properties of the poor. I am not afraid of these cases and will continue to fight the Congress government," he declared, addressing a massive Bengaluru Chalo rally orgainsed by the city unit of the BJP here against corruption in the Siddaramaiah government.
Demanding the resignation of Ministers D.K. Shivakumar and Ramesh Jarkiholi, who were recently raided by the Income Tax Department, Mr Yeddyurappa warned the chief minister that once the BJP comes to power , he would send him to jail. Calling the Siddaramaiah government the most corrupt in the country, he said the BJP would hold frequent rallies against it in future.
Senior BJP leader and Udupi Chikamagaluru MP, Shobha Karandlaje, in her address, claimed the Congress government was threatening to file cases against her on power purchase deals made during her tenure as Energy Minister in the state. "But I am not afraid of these cases, There were no illegalities in the purchase of power during my tenure. It was done through global tenders and I have not bought power from my uncle or relatives. Don't drag my name unnecessarily into a power purchase scam," she warned, also demanding the resignation of Mr Shivakumar and Mr Jarkiholi.
Earlier, speaking to reporters Mr Yeddyurappa claimed that revival of the denotification cases against him was politically motivated. “I have faith in the judiciary and will fight the cases legally, "he said.
Former Deputy Chief Minister, R Ashok , who was present, said the party would stand by Mr Yeddyurappa and claimed that the people too were with him.
Friday’s rally was bigger than any other organized by the BJP in the state over the last four years. Having received an earful from party national president, Amit Shah during his three- day visit to Bengaluru for failing to be an effective opposition in the state, the party made sure that thousands of party workers from all the city Assembly constituencies participated along with nearly all the top party leaders of the state. Senior leader, Muralidhar Rao, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Karnataka was also present.
The BJP leaders ,who took out the rally from Freedom Park to the Gandhi statue on M G Road, courted arrest by trying to barge into the Vidhana Soudha.
BSY may not appear before ACB today
Though the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials have issued notice to BJP State President and former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa in connection with the two FIRs registered against him in land denotification case, it is most likely that he won’t appear before the investigating officers on Saturday.
The ACB issued a notice to Yeddyurappa on Thursday asking him to appear for questioning regarding land denotification cases. However, sources that most VVIPs don’t appear after the first notice.
“We have issued the notice but VVIPs want to buy time as much as possible,” said an official source, adding that there was no confirmation about Mr Yeddyurappa’s appearing until late on Friday.
As per procedure, ACB officials issue three notices to any accused and when they don’t appear, the only option left will be to move court. “It all depends on the IO on how to proceed in such cases when the accused does not appear after notices being issued. Generally, notice will be served thrice and if they won’t turn up, the IO will submit to the court that it is essential to take the accused into custody and interrogate him, as he is not cooperating with the investigations. Then, the court would issue warrant, following which the accused will be arrested and taken into custody for questioning,” another official said.
