Bengaluru, Sep 28: Union Heavy Industries and Steel Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday dared Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to inform the public about the 70 cases pending against him with the state Lokayukta.
Addressing media persons in Bengaluru, Union Minister Kumaraswamy said, “If CM Siddaramaiah is honest, why are so many cases registered against him?” He alleged that Siddaramaiah had shut down the Lokayukta institution and established the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to save himself.
“The Congress government is conspiring to send me to jail in a 12-year-old case. If a situation arises, I will resign from my post voluntarily,” he said. “Those who brought tears to the eyes of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda (my father) will perish. All of them will get destroyed. That is what is happening in Karnataka,” he stated indirectly referring to the lodging of FIR against CM Siddaramaiah.
Hitting out at the Congress government, the union minister claimed that if he released the documents in his possession, five to six cabinet ministers of the Siddaramaiah government would have to tender their resignations.
However, Siddaramaiah said all claims of Union Minister Kumaraswamy were false. “It is not necessary to respond to all his statements,” the Chief Minister added. Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP is “full of corrupt” individuals and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take action against them.
After PM Modi mentioned the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case in his campaign speech in Haryana, the Chief Minister questioned why he did not visit violence-hit Manipur. “Why hasn’t he addressed the Manipur violence or visited there?” CM Siddaramaiah asked.
When asked about the meeting with his legal advisor on Saturday, CM Siddaramaiah claimed, “Since Congress MLA A. S. Ponnanna is my legal advisor, I discuss legal matters with him daily.”
IANS
