resignationBelagavi (K'taka), Nov 14 (PTI) The Karnataka LegislativeAssembly was today rocked by protests as the opposition BJPmarched into the well of the House demanding resignation ofstate minister K J George, who has been booked by the CBI in acase relating to the death of a police official.
The second day of the winter session was marred bycharges and counter-charges between treasury and oppositionbenches, with the BJP demanding George's resignation until theCBI probe is completed.
The state government rejected the demand and accused theBJP of playing politics on the issue.
As Speaker K B Koliwad rejected the BJP's adjournmentnotice on the ground that the matter was pending before theCBI and there was no failure on part of the government on theissue, BJP members marched into the well of the House, raisingslogans seeking George's resignation.
Hitting out at the BJP for disrupting the House, ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah alleged that the party was using theissue for "propaganda."He alleged that the BJP was not interested in discussingissues of public interest.
Deputy SP Ganapathy (51) was found hanging from a ceilingfan in a room of a lodge in Madikeri in Kodagu district onJuly 7 last year, with the mystery surrounding it raising ahuge controversy.
Prior to the alleged suicide, Ganapathy had, in aninterview to a local TV channel said that the then HomeMinister George and two senior police officers A M Prasad andPranab Mohanty would be responsible "if anything happens tome."The minister had resigned soon after a court directed thepolice to register an FIR against him and the two policeofficers.
Karnataka CID, which investigated the case after thedeath of Ganapathy, had given a clean chit to George and theofficers in closure report filed before a court in Madikeri.
After his name was cleared by the CID, George was re-inducted into the state Cabinet, but the Supreme Court, inSeptember, ordered a CBI probe into the case and asked theprobe agency to file a status report on the investigationwithin three months.
As the House met for the day today, Opposition BJP leaderJagadish Shettar raised the issue and told the Speaker abouthis adjournment notice.
The speaker said he would allow preliminary submissiononly after the question hour.
Raising the issue after the question hour, Shettar saidthere was "suspicion" whether Ganapathy's death was a murderor suicide.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandraaccused the BJP of raising the matter only for the "sake ofpolitics" and said there were several issues that needed to bediscussed on priority.
BJP legislator Suresh Kumar said, "It is a matter ofpublic importance. If the issue is not allowed for discussion,then it will become a matter of private importance." Jayachandra said as the matter was pending inquiry beforethe CBI, it should not be allowed for discussion.
Shettar said within two months after the CID clean chitto George, media reports claimed that the forensic laboratoryreport in the case exposed the "shoddy" investigation by theCID.
"By continuing as the minister, George may indulge indestruction of evidence and may influence... So, he shouldresign until CBI enquiry is completed," he said.
As the Speaker started pronouncing his ruling rejectingthe adjournment notice, BJP members walked into the well ofthe House raising slogans.
Following this, the House was adjourned till afternoon.
PTI KSU RA ROHNSD.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.