Will decide based on SIT report: CM Siddaramaiah on BJP's demand to sack Minister Nagendra
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he has not sought resignation of Minister B Nagendra, who is facing allegations over illegal money transfer from a state-run corporation, and any decision in this regard will be taken based on the probe report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate it.
He also questioned the opposition BJP, asking as to who were they to fix a deadline for the government to remove Nagendra, the Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare, from the post.
BJP has sought a CBI probe into the alleged illegal money transfer case involving the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, and also demanded immediate dismissal of Nagendra from the Ministry.
"There is no threat or anything, I have not sought resignation (of Nagendra)... SIT report has not yet come, it has been constituted only a couple of days ago. Let's see what they will give in their report. Once they submit their report we will take a decision," Siddaramaiah told reporters in response to a question.
Asked whether he has sought any explanation from Nagendra, he said: "I have not yet asked. I will have to go through the preliminary report. After going through the report, we will decide."
On BJP demanding the Minister's resignation and giving an ultimatum to the government till June 6 for the same or else threatening a state-wide protest, the Chief Minister said: "Who are they to give us an ultimatum? Opposition party is to protest against injustice, but they (BJP) won't protest against injustice, they protest by speaking lies."
Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said the government will not protect anyone in the case and will take action in accordance with law, irrespective of whoever is involved.
The illegal money transfer came to light after accounts superintendent at the Corporation, Chandrashekhar P, died by suicide on May 26, leaving behind a death note.
It revealed an 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.
Chandrashekhar has allegedly 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.
The state government on Friday constituted an SIT team headed by Manish Kharbikar, Additional Director General of Police, Economic Offences, at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bengaluru, to conduct the probe.
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PM Modi, RSS strengthening wall in path of SCs, STs, OBCs: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS were strengthening the wall standing in the path of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs, even as he acknowledged that the UPA took steps to weaken that wall but not to the extent it should have.
Addressing the 'Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyaan', Gandhi also referred to the function held on Constitution Day in Parliament and said that it is his guarantee, that "Modi has not read" the Constitution.
"If PM Modi would have read this book then what he does daily, he would not do it," Gandhi said, displaying a copy of the Constitution of India.
Gandhi said the country's whole system is pitted against Dalits, Adivasis and backward class people.
He said a wall obstructs the path of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs and Modi and the RSS are strengthening that wall by "adding cement to it".
"Slowly the wall (obstructing the path of SCs, STs, OBCs) is getting strengthened. Earlier, the UPA government gave MGNREGA, the land acquisition act, the right to food...those were ways to weaken that wall. Today, when I look back, I can say the UPA government did not weaken the wall to the extent it should have, it did not do it as strongly as it should have," Gandhi said.
"However, we used to make efforts to weaken that wall but they (the BJP) are strengthening that wall by adding concrete," the former Congress president said.
Gandhi said a caste survey being carried out in Telangana is a historic step and the Congress will do the same wherever it comes to power.
