Siddaramaiah charges CM Bommai of presenting wrong info to hide BJP's corruption
Bengaluru, Feb 24: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of using the Justice H S Kempanna Commission's report to give wrong information in the Assembly regarding the Arkavathy Layout denotification.
The Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly said the Chief Minister was acting with an intention to "hide" the corruption charges against the BJP government.
He was reacting to Bommai, who on Thursday in the Assembly, reading out the excerpts from the Justice Kempanna Commission's report which is not in public, had accused the previous Congress government of "redo" or denotifiation of Arkavathy Layout land.
"When I was not present in the Assembly, Bommai shouted and created an impression that there was a big scam worth Rs 8,000 crore. The Kempanna Commission has said that I did not denotify even one gunta of land. Bommai is speaking plain lies," Siddaramaiah told reporters here. One gunta is equal to 1,089 square feet.
He noted that Arkavathy Layout was formed in 2003, and before his government came to power, 2,750 acres were notified.
"Later, final notification was done for 1,919.13 acres. This was challenged in High Court and went to the Supreme Court, which fixed some parameters and teams were formed to delete some lands when B S Yediyurappa was the chief minister," Siddaramaiah added.
The file next went to Jagadish Shettar who subsequently became the Chief Minister, but by then the model code of conduct for the election was in place, so it was sent back, he said.
"When our (Congress) government came, there was a petition in the High Court because of which there was some pressure."
"As our officers had stated that everything was done as per the Supreme Court's parameters. I approved it. It was not a redo, but a remodified scheme," Siddaramaiah further said.
Subsequently as Shettar, who was then Leader of Opposition, and others alleged that there was a scam, he had formed a judicial commission for an inquiry, the Congress leader contended.
Pointing out that in September 2021, the HC constituted another committee under retired Justice K N Keshavanarayana, Siddaramaiah said: "Hearing a PIL that sought for tabling of the Justice Kempanna Commission's report, the High Court had said it can't be considered in view of the Keshavanarayana committee that's functioning. Hence, it was wrong to speak on a report that was not tabled."
With the ruling BJP accusing him of weakening the Lokayukta by forming the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Siddaramaiah also sought to defend his government's decision to constitute the new state agency.
"Gujarat, Goa, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and 12 other states have Lokayukta and ACB. Why isn't the BJP abolishing ACB in these states?" he asked.
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Karnataka cabinet to take up caste census report amid internal opposition
Bengaluru (PTI): Amid what appears to be a caste conundrum, the Karnataka cabinet will hold a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the contentious Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as 'caste census'.
According to official sources, the cabinet is considering referring the report to a cabinet sub-committee or an expert committee for further examination.
With Siddaramaiah already indicating that the report will be debated in both houses of the state legislature, sources said it may also be referred to a joint legislative committee. There is also the possibility of convening a special session of the legislature.
The cabinet is likely to deliberate on the report’s recommendation to increase OBC reservation in the state from the current 32 per cent to 51 per cent, sources said adding that the demand for a fresh survey or recounting may also come up.
Several communities, especially Karnataka's two dominant ones -- Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats -- have voiced strong objections to the survey, terming it "unscientific". They have demanded that the report be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted.
Objections have also been raised by various sections of society, including from within the ruling Congress party.
However, not all voices are critical. Several leaders and organisations representing Dalits and OBCs among others are in support of it and want the government to release it, pointing out that about Rs 160 crore of public funds has been spent on the exercise.
Given the strong disapproval from the two politically influential communities, the report may turn out to be a political hot potato for the government, as it may set the stage for a confrontation with Dalits and OBCs among others demanding its release and implementation.
The survey's findings are said to be at odds with the "traditional perceptions" of the caste composition in Karnataka, especially the numerical strength of Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, making it a politically sticky issue. Ministers from these communities are expected to voice their objections during the cabinet meeting, sources said.
Both Veershaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas and a few other communities have claimed that their sub-castes have been divided among different categories of OBC, resulting in a decrease in the population. They have alleged that many households were left out from the survey or undercounting.
Amid growing opposition to the survey report, the CM had on Wednesday assured that his government would not let any injustice happen to anyone.
After a long wait, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes' report was placed before the cabinet for the first time on April 11.
The Siddaramaiah-led government (2013-2018) had in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state.
The State Backward Classes Commission, under its then chairperson H Kantharaju, was tasked with preparing a caste census report. The survey work was completed in 2018 towards the end of Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister, and the report was finalised by his successor K Jayaprakash Hegde in February 2024.
