The day after the resignation of Bengaluru Development Minister and close aide KJ George over an order of the Madikeri jurisdictional court asking the police to file FIR against him and two senior police officers, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ruled out handing over the probe of suicide of DySp Mk Ganapathy to CBI as demanded by the major Opposition BJP. In a Press conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday Siddaramaiah not only defended George but also questioned some of the Union Ministers who are facing FIRs but so far have not resigned.
He said Union Ministers Bandaru Dattatreya, Smriti Irani and Uma Bharti were facing FIRs and seven of the newly inducted 19 Union Ministers had criminal cases registered against them “but BJP is silent on this and singling out George”, who resigned hours after a court ordered registration of FIR against him and two police officials over the DySP suicide.
He said that mere filing of an FIR does not warrant action but still George stepped down as a “loyal soldier” of the party, saying he did not want to embarrass Congress, the Chief Minister and the Government.
“let them (BJP) get the resignations of Dattatreya, Smriti Irani and seven Ministers facing criminal cases. Is there a separate law for us and themIJ” he questioned. “I have accepted George’s resignation with pain. We have not taken his resignation. He himself resigned voluntarily,” he said, adding, his Ministerial colleagues had advised him (George) against stepping down.
Siddaramaiah said Prasad and Mohanty ( two police officers) have not been asked to go on leave as was being speculated. lashing out at BJP for persisting with its demand for a CBI probe, he said “there is no need to hand over the case to CBI. A judicial commission has already been formed. The matter has also gone to the court...So no need to refer the matter to CBI.”
KG George resigned on Monday shortly after a court at Madikeri in Kodagu district directed police to register an FIR against him and two top police officers in connection with alleged suicide of 51-year old MK Ganapathy.
The body of Mangaluru DySP Ganapathy was found hanging from the ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7. Hours before his death, in an interview to a local TV channel, he had said George and AM Prasad (IG-Intelligence) and Pranab Mohanty (IGP-lokayukta) were harassing him and they would be responsible “if anything happens to me.” Accusing BJP of “moral bankruptcy”, Siddaramaiah said Congress would “expose their true colours” and “false propaganda” with Statewide party programmes.
Siddaramiah said the Government had no disrespect for CBI and is also not afraid of it. “It has faith in the investigation agency unlike BJP which has belittled it when in power in the state and refused to refer even one single case to it,” he said.
Chief Minister also hit out at former Chief Minister and JDs chief HD Kumaraswamy and said he also had criminal cases. He said” Doesn’t (HD) Kumaraswamy have criminal cases. His wife is also facing a criminal case. They (both BJP and JDS) should introspect. Those living in glass houses should not pelt others with stones.”
Siddaramaiah also dismissed Kumaraswamy’s charge that the Chief Minister was facing five cases, which he had not disclosed in the election affidavit. He said all the five cases registered during his fight for public cause were closed in 2008 itself. Siddaramaiah flayed BJP and JDS for using the suicide of Ganapathy as a “political tool.”
leader of Opposition in the legislative Council KS Eshwarappa has said the Bharatiya Janata Party would continue its struggle till the Congress Government handed over the investigations into the alleged suicides of two Deputy Superintendents of Police MK Ganapathy and Kallappa Handibag to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He also expressed apprehensions that the State’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) could prolong investigations and may not enjoy a free hand into the cases.