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In a counter-move to the BJP's recent padayatra demanding the Chief Minister's resignation over a land allotment controversy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Tuesday that the Congress party would organise a 'Raj Bhavan Chalo' march to seek prosecution of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy in a mining lease case.
Addressing a press conference at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office, he said, "There are pending appeals before the Governor seeking permission to prosecute Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, former minister Murugesh Nirani, Janardhan Reddy and Shashikala Jolle. We are organising a Raj Bhavan Chalo march seeking sanction against these leaders." Congress has planned a counter-event to pressure Governor Thawarchand Gehlot. The ruling party is employing various strategies to corner the Governor after he granted permission to prosecute the CM in the case. "The appeal of Lokayukta seeking permission to prosecute our 'Honest Big Brother' Kumaraswamy in a mining case has been pending with the Governor for some time. The Lokayukta has sought permission to prosecute him after a detailed investigation over 10 years, yet the Governor is yet to give sanction," he said. "The Rajbhavan Chalo will start from the Gandhi statue near Vidhana Soudha at 10 am and reach Raj Bhavan. The Chief Minister, all ministers, Congress MLAs, MLCs and MPs will be part of the rally. We will submit an appeal to the governor at the end of the rally," he added. "The Governor has not given sanction, though some BJP-JDS leaders have charge sheeted, but the sanction has been given against the Chief Minister even without preliminary investigation. We have brought to the attention of the Governor that many appeals for sanction from Lokayukta and SITs are pending with him," he said. "The Lokayukta SIT wrote a letter dated 21-11-2023 to the Governor detailing the sections under which Kumaraswamy was charge-sheeted with illegal allotting of an iron ore mine. The SIT appealed to the Governor for a sanction to prosecute after a detailed inquiry over 10 years, but no sanction has been given," he noted. "In the case of former minister Shashikala Jolle, the Lokayukta had sought sanction under Article 17a. Sanction has been sought against former minister Murugesh Nirani too after a preliminary investigation. Sanction has been sought against Janardhan Reddy in a disproportionate assets case. In all these cases, a preliminary investigation has been completed," he explained. Speaking on Kumaraswamy's claim of a fake signature on the approval of the mining license, Shivkumar said, "I have heard Kumaraswamy saying that the signature approving the mining license was not his. This investigation has been going on for 10 years. If the signature has been forged, why has he not filed a complaint yet?" "Kumaraswamy had even applied for bail in the case. In the affidavit, Kumaraswamy admits that he had approved a mining licence for Sri Sai Venkatesh Minerals. The FIR in the case was registered in 2011 itself. If it was not his signature, why would he apply for bail in the case?" he questioned. "Mister Kumaraswamy, you have taken an oath to the Constitution. You can't say now that the signature is not yours while admitting it in court during a bail application. Lodge a complaint if your signature is indeed forged," he urged. When asked if the government would conduct an investigation into Kumaraswamy's allegation that his signature was forged, he said, "Let him lodge a complaint first; we will investigate it then. I don't know why he is delaying lodging a complaint; he can even file an online complaint. The 'innocent' Kumaraswamy has to lodge a complaint on forged signatures the same way his government lodged a complaint against Yediyurappa in 2011." On the sanctioning of lands to Jindal and Kharge's Trust, he said, "All decisions of the government must be ready for public scrutiny. We will answer about this later. How much land was given to which institutions by the Yediyurappa and Bommai governments?" "There are many pleas for sites by the media as well. Many pleas have come from media organisations. Trust land is not for personal use; it is for public good. The Industries Minister has already issued a statement regarding this. I will comment on it once I study it," he said. The press meeting was attended by KPCC Working President GC Chandrashekar, spokespersons M Lakshman, and Women's Wing President Sowmya Reddy among others. (ANI)
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