Mysore/Mysuru: Opposition leader in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Siddharamaiah on Saturday declined to reply to the legal notice served on him by a BJP legislator saying that it has no value since allegations were made against the State Government and not the Party.
Speaking to the media here, the former Chief Minister said, “We made allegations about corruption in the purchase of medical equipment by the ruling Government and not against the Party so notice should be served by the State Government and not by an individual.”
He said that the legal notice served to him and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar is an attempt to intimidate them. Siddharamaiah questioned the purpose of the legal notice served by a BJP MLC when charges of corruption in the COVID-19 management had been made against the State Government.
“Both of us will reply appropriately but one should understand that the charges of corruption had been made against the government. “We will not be scared by the legal notice”, he said.
He also tweeted that he expected the legal notice to be served by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Ministers or the Chief Secretary after the Congress ‘exposed’ the corruption by the Government in the purchase of equipment to fight COVID-19.
Further, he tweeted that the government was being ‘foolish’ if it was under the impression that it can browbeat the Congress leaders before adding that the party would take its struggle against corruption to the people.
Reacting to the BJP leaders raking up the Hublot watch case, the former Chief Minister questioned whether he should also recall the past cases involving Mr. Yediyurappa. He said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had conducted a probe into the watch case and had given him a clean chit. The watch had been handed over to the Government and the person who presented the watch has also submitted an affidavit in this regard.
“Was the watch purchased from public money? It had been presented by somebody and was not bought by looted money. An inquiry has already been conducted in the matter and a clean chit has been given”, Siddharamaiah said before clarifying that the BJP had taken up the watch issue only to ‘mislead’ the people.
Referring to BJP leaders’ comments about him sharing the dais with Shivakumar, who had gone to jail, Siddharamaiah said the cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate against the Congress leader were “politically motivated”. Asking the BJP leaders if the Courts had found Shivakumar guilty, Siddharamaiah said the Courts had given the KPCC President bail.
This post was published on August 2, 2020 6:35 pm