BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said on Friday that the five-member panel headed by him will take the scams that took place during the previous governments to their logical end without fail.
The panel set up by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to expedite the investigation into the past “scams” headed by Dr Parameshwara also includes ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, Santhosh Lad, Priyank Kharge, and HK Patil.
The committee held a three-hour marathon meeting at Vidhana Soudha on Friday in which several top officials were present. However, HK Patil was absent. After the meeting ended, the ministers met separately.
“We will not touch the cases in which the investigations are complete, but will look into only those cases in which the probe is ongoing... we will also look into the new scams. Today we discussed 3-4 cases,” Dr Parameshwara said.
He said that the team will review the “scams” department-wise.
“In two months, we are expected to complete the task and submit our report to the cabinet to take a call,” the home minister told the media after the meeting.
He further added that all the “irregularities” that happened during the BJP rule and the Congress-JDS coalition government will be probed. He said that the scams in different departments, including the police, and their progress have been discussed, but since it was the first meeting, the panel had not arrived at any conclusion.
On BJP’s allegation that the Congress was indulging in politics of vengeance by digging up old cases, Dr Parameshwara hit back, asking whether the old scams should not be investigated and the truth be put forth before the people.
On Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the BJP trolling him as he did not deserve to be the home minister, Dr Parameshwara hit back, saying, “I am a home minister for the third time, and the people of the state and the officers know my ability. I have delivered the goods honestly in any portfolio.”
Dr Parameshwara also held a meeting of the panel to select Congress workers as vice-presidents and directors to various boards and corporations. In a month or two, over 1,000 vacancies will be filled, said informed sources.