BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanswamy, on Wednesday said the BJP will launch a padayatra against the state government soon, over the irregularities in the ST Development Corporation.
“The SIT seems to have been formed to give a clean chit to the Congress leaders. We will launch a massive protest against it. The party high command has also given us some suggestions,” he told the media. The BJP leader said the ST Development Corporation scam did not get much attention during the party’s Bengaluru-Mysuru Padayatra, since the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) issue took centre-stage.
He said the party’s central leaders have agreed to the state leaders’ suggestions on taking out a padayatra, highlighting the ST Development Corporation scam. The padayatra details will be decided by the BJP state president, he said. Asked if they will organise a padayatra to Ballari, the BJP leader said probably it will be done in that region, but everything will be decided by the party leaders.
Narayanaswamy termed the matter a “big scam”, since government money was directly transferred to private accounts. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is facing too many cases and is unable to take decisions, he said.
“The government must take it seriously and act against all those involved. Why is the government protecting ST Development Corporation Chairman Basanagouda Daddal? What is the credibility of the SIT? Though the ED gave a report, his name was not mentioned in the SIT reports,” he charged.
Meanwhile, Narayanaswamy also slammed Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on reservation during an interaction in the US. “Rahul Gandhi has given a statement against reservation. Rahul and the Congress are ‘anti-Dalit’,” he alleged.
Senior BJP leader and MLC N Ravi Kumar said they will burn Rahul’s effigies across the state on Thursday and Friday. Kumar told reporters that the reservation is the right of the people from the SC/ST communities, and is not a charity by the Congress.