BJP holds state-wide protest in Karnataka over "Valmiki" scam, demands CM's resignation
Bengaluru, Jun 28: Karnataka BJP on Thursday held a state-wide protest against the Congress government over alleged illegal money transfer scam involving a state-run corporation, and demanded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's resignation.
BJP workers and leaders held demonstrations in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in almost all districts in the state, party sources said.
The party's state President B Y Vijayendra took part in the demonstration held in the district headquarters town of Chitradurga.
As Vijayendra and other leaders tried to march towards the Deputy Commissioner's office there, police detained them and whisked them away in a bus.
There are reports of similar protests from various parts of the state including Belagavi, Mandya and Mangaluru.
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Vijayendra alleged that the government is trying to cover up the scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
"There are death threats to officials and those who want to expose the government's scams. Congress government has done a daylight robbery of funds that were kept for the Valmiki and other ST communities, and thereby it has done injustice to those communities," he said.
Speaking to reporters as he was being whisked away in the bus, he said, "(Medical Education) Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, Valmiki Corporation's Chairman Basanagouda Daddal will have to resign. Not only that, the Chief Minister holds the Finance portfolio, without coming to his notice such a big scam would not have happened. Allegations have surfaced that the money was utilised for the election, so the Chief Minister has to resign."
The illegal money transfer issue, involving the Corporation, came to light, after its accounts superintendent, Chandrashekhar P, died by suicide on May 26, leaving behind a death note.
The note claimed unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore belonging to the Corporation from its bank account, and from that, Rs 88.62 crore was illegally moved to various accounts allegedly belonging to "well-known" IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank among others.
Chandrashekhar has named the Corporation's now-suspended Managing Director J G Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram G Durugannavar, and Union Bank of India Chief Manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while also stating that the "Minister" had issued oral orders for transferring the funds.
Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra tendered his resignation on June 6.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said the BJP will press for Siddaramaiah's resignation during the upcoming Assembly session.
"Nagendra's share in this scam was only 20 per cent, 80 per cent loot was by Siddaramaiah and gang.......we will not stop our fight for any reason, it will continue. One wicket has fallen (Minister resign), three or more will follow. People know this is a corrupt government," he said in the district headquarters town of Kolar.
BJP leader and MLC C T Ravi said despite allegations that Rs 187 crore has been credited to a number of fake accounts, till now the department has recovered only Rs 14 crore.
"What action has been taken against fake account holders, has money been recovered? For none of these, SIT has answers. As the Finance department is with the CM, Siddaramaiah should take moral responsibility, as this is a big scam within the jurisdiction of his department....we are demanding -- CM has to resign taking moral responsibility," he said here.
The state government has constituted an SIT headed by Manish Kharbikar, Additional Director General of Police, Economic Offences, at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) here, to conduct the probe.
Mumbai-headquartered Union Bank of India had also filed a complaint with the CBI in connection with embezzlement of money belonging to the Corporation involving its MG Road branch, following which the premier investigation agency had initiated a probe.
"ಭ್ರಷ್ಟ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಧಿಕ್ಕಾರ"
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) June 28, 2024
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನ ವಿರೋಧಿ ಭ್ರಷ್ಟ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ರಾಜ್ಯಾದ್ಯಂತ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಕೇಂದ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬೃಹತ್ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ಇಂದು ಚಿತ್ರದುರ್ಗದ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ಕಚೇರಿಗಳ ಎದುರು ಬೃಹತ್ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಎಸ್.ಟಿ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಶ್ರೇಯೋಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಮೀಸಲಿದ್ದ ಮಹರ್ಷಿ… pic.twitter.com/OpLXl6MdY0
ಜನ ವಿರೋಧಿ ಭ್ರಷ್ಟ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಧಿಕ್ಕಾರ...
— R. Ashoka (ಮೋದಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ) (@RAshokaBJP) June 28, 2024
ವಾಲ್ಮೀಕಿ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ನಿಗಮ ಹಗರಣ, ಹಾಲು ಉತ್ಪಾದಕರಿಗೆ ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹ ಧನ ಸ್ಥಗಿತ ಮತ್ತು ಅಗತ್ಯ ವಸ್ತುಗಳ ಬೆಲೆಯೇರಿಕೆ ಖಂಡಿಸಿ, ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಜನತಾದಳದ ವತಿಯಿಂದ ಕೋಲಾರ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿ ಕಚೇರಿ ಮುಂಭಾಗ ಬೃಹತ್ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು.
ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಭಯ ಪಕ್ಷಗಳ ಮುಖಂಡರು,… pic.twitter.com/sVFqptmWPF
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
