BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will invite more trouble and find himself in a situation where he will be compelled to quit if he refuses to disband the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB), said BJP national vice-president B S Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa, who led the BJP’s signature campaign against the ACB, interacted with commuters at the Kempe Gowda Bus Station on Wednesday. Expressing their support for the agitation against the ACB, hundreds of commuters and the general public signed the memorandum on dissolving the ACB and strengthening of the Lokayukta institution.
Siddaramaiah should respect public opinion against the ACB, which is meant to weaken the Lokayukta, he said. “The BJP will continue the agitation against the ACB and Siddaramaiah will pay a heavy price for his adamant attitude,” he added.
Former deputy chief minister R Ashok and other BJP leaders too participated in similar signature campaigns in various parts of the city.
Hegde Lambasts CM
Tumakuru: Former Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde lambasted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for setting up the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) and said the ACB was made to meddle with the probe against the corrupt.
“In order to take up an inquiry against top people, including ministers and the CM, the ACB has to take the approval of the cabinet. We know what’s the background of the ministers in the present cabinet,” he told reporters after delivering his convocation address at Tumkur University.
“The ACB had reportedly sought the Law Department’s opinion to take up a probe on the CM’s Hublot watch case as to whether CM is a public servant or not. It’s shameful that it does not know the basics. In Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu were sent to jail when they were in the office,” he explained.
“The CM may say the ACB has been functioning in 14 states of the country. Does it mean the people of the state too suffer when the strong Lokayukta, except the turn of events during the past one year, was in place.”