BENGALURU: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Wednesday said the State Government is waiting for Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision on sanctioning the prosecution of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy in a case where he had allegedly illegally allotted 550 acres to a mining company that did not exist at all.
Parameshwara said that in 2023 itself, the Lokayukta had sought the prosecution as they were prepared to file a chargesheet against Kumaraswamy before the court.
“Now, for the second time, the investigating agency has sought sanction. If the governor does not give his sanction, the Lokayukta can proceed, as can the government,” he told reporters.
“Kumarswamy might be the union minister, but he had allotted 550 acres to a nonexisting mining company (Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals) in Karnataka. The governor should approve the sanction to prosecute him,” he added.
He also hinted at the State Government taking action on other alleged scams and putting pressure on the governor to issue sanctions to prosecute former ministers Murugesh Nirani, Shashikala Jolle and Gali Janardhana Reddy, apart from Kumaraswamy.
He said the investigation agency is ready with the chargesheets with regards to alleged irregularities in the Bhovi Development Corporation and Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal.
He, meanwhile, reiterated that the Congress high command and party legislators will back Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case. He said there was no material evidence against Siddaramaiah.
“AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and other top brass leaders have said they are with the CM and there will be no second thought on it. Both the CM and DyCM DK Shivakumar are going to New Delhi on Friday to meet the high command leaders to brief them on the latest political developments in the state. The issue may go to the extent of the I.N.D.I.A bloc taking it up at the national level as the governor’s office was being misused to destabilise non-BJP governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Now, it is Karnataka’s turn,” the minister added.