BENGALURU: The Opposition BJP and JDS demanded that the Minister of Planning and Statistics of Karnataka D Sudhakar be dropped from the Cabinet and arrested as an FIR has been registered against him. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he would speak to the minister, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said it was a false case.
“Irrespective of his position, he should be immediately arrested and the case should be investigated impartially,” said former CM and senior BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda.
Former CM Basavaraj Bommai said the minister should resign immediately. The police should not come under pressure and summon Sudhakar to the police station for probe, he said.
“The minister’s conduct clearly shows the government’s anti-Dalit approach. The government only talks about Dalit welfare, but in reality, it is anti-Dalit. The same government diverted over Rs 11,000 crore from the SCSP/TSP funds meant for SC/ST welfare,” the former CM said.
JDS leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy accused the government of putting pressure on the police officials, who registered the FIR against the minister.
“If the CM has any respect for Dalits and his post, he should not keep the minister in his cabinet. He should be sacked immediately. However, they are threatening the officers who had registered the FIR,” the former CM. He appealed to the Dalit organisations to take note of the incident and start agitation against the minister.
However, DyCM Shivakumar rushed to the minister’s defense. “As state Congress president, I have got the details from the officials and held discussions with them. We know it is a false case. There is no need for him to resign,” the DyCM said.
The DyCM said some people built a compound around the land that Sudhakar had purchased and his (Sudhakar) people were trying to protect it. Persons from Scheduled Caste (SC) filed a complaint and a case under PCR (Protection of Civil Rights ) was registered, Shivakumar justified. The DyCM said the BJP may even file a false case against him.
“There is a lot of difference between threatening and PCR case,” Shivakumar said when asked about a video clip in which the minister is allegedly threatening a person.
The BJP tweeted a video clip in which the minister is allegedly threatening a person over land in Yelahanka.
“The minister is behaving like a rowdy. Congress government should immediately arrest the anti-Dalit minister,” the BJP tweeted.
In another video clip, the minister purportedly made derogatory remarks against the Brahmin community. The Minister, however, has denied the charges.