Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said there was no scam under the Congress regime and charged the Bharatiya Janata Party was the “father of scams”. The opposition in the state is protesting against Siddaramiah-led government on Monday alleging rampant corruption.
Addressing presspersons, Shivakumar said, “There is no scam. All scams have been created by the BJP and their tenure. The BJP is the father of scams. Now we are trying to clean up everything and they are not able to digest it as their names will come out,” ANI reported.
The legislators led by BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra and the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka staged a sit-in demonstration near the Maharshi Valmiki statue near the Legislative House amid drizzles. Holding placards, they raised slogans condemning the Congress government. They also took out a march with banners denouncing the government.
Vijayendra accused the government of being against Dalits and Scheduled Tribes and said the BJP will continue its fight against it inside and outside the Karnataka Assembly. "The investigation into the Rs 187 crore Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam has revealed that the money was utilised in the Lok Sabha election," he alleged.
He claimed that the family of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was involved in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority scam. “Plots worth thousands of crores of rupees, which were meant for Dalits, Scheduled Tribes and Economically Weaker Section, were grabbed by bigwigs in the MUDA scam,” Vijayendra alleged.
He said the BJP will not accept the state government order setting up a commission of inquiry by a retired High Court judge, Justice P.N. Desai, to probe the MUDA scam. "We want only a CBI probe. The chief minister knows that if CBI investigates it, the truth will come out," the BJP state chief said.
BJP leader CT Ravi charged, “Congress has looted Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. Congress has used this money for election purposes. It is our duty to serve justice to the Dalits. They have looted the money of Dalits. We cannot stay silent anymore. The prices of milk, petrol and every other thing have increased.”
-with inputs from agencies.
