CM Siddaramaiah suspects BJP, its 'brother' responsible for 'fake letter' against Agriculture Min
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has questioned whether the BJP or its "brother" was behind a "fake letter" accusing Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy of demanding bribes from officials after the Governor asked the government to probe the complaint.
The "brother" remark was an apparent dig at JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. The opposition BJP and the JD(S) have been warming up to each other after the recent Assembly elections.
In the letter purportedly criticising Cheluvarayaswamy, seven assistant agriculture directors posted in Mandya district have accused the minister of demanding Rs 6 to 8 lakh from officers of the department.
The complainants, in the letter, threatened to end their lives along with their family members if such corrupt practices are not stopped.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday tweeted: "It has come out that the letter in circulation in the public domain is fake. The joint agriculture director has already clarified that no officers in the district have written such a letter," he added.
"The leaders of BJP, are you the creator of such a fake letter spreading slander against the government or your brother?" he tweeted.
The Chief Minister said the matter would be reviewed by the government and assured that an investigation would be conducted, if necessary.
After receiving the letter, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot referred it to Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma on August 1 to look into the issue and take required action as per the rules.
Minister Cheluvarayaswamy too said the letter to the Governor against him appears to be fake and said that he would try to ascertain its authenticity.
Cheluvarayaswamy said he spoke to Agriculture Joint Director of Mandya district V S Ashoka, who said it was a fake letter.
Meanwhile, Ashoka convened a meeting on Monday with the assistant directors of all taluks in Mandya and enquired with them whether they wrote any letter to the Governor. "They all said in unison that they have not written any letter to the Governor," he told PTI.
Minister Cheluvarayaswamy said: "It appears to be a fake letter. Some people are trying to dig out something about me. I will ask the secretary of our department to investigate it."
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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.
