Mysuru: Former Minister and Karnataka BJP Vice-President V. Sreenivasa Prasad has an unblemished career though he was in a powerful position as a Revenue Minister. “Such people must not retire from active politics,” said retired Supreme Court Judge and former Lokayukta of Karnataka Justice N. Santosh Hegde.

He was speaking at Kalamandira yesterday after releasing ‘Swabhimana Rajakaranada Hinnele – Nanjanagudu Vidhana Sabha Upachunavane’ (Politics With Self-Esteem: The Background of Nanjangud Assembly By-elections), a book written by Sreenivasa Prasad on his political career spanning over four decades, with particular focus on the Nanjangud by-poll.

Before Justice Hegde spoke, Sreenivasa Prasad announced his retirement from electoral politics and indicated that he could soon quit active politics too. Reacting to Prasad’s announcement, Justice Hegde said, “I respect those politicians who did not figure in court cases I oversaw during my five-year tenure as Lokayukta. He hoped that Prasad would continue in active politics. “Those seeking to enter politics must work under him to practice value-based politics,” he added.

“Your fans will not agree with your plans of quitting active politics. There is a need of advisors and clean politicians like you,” he added.

‘Want to salute you’

During the course of his speech, Justice Hegde said that the names of three Chief Ministers from Congress, BJP and JD(S) figured in the illegal mining case along with eight Ministers and more than 150 IAS and IPS officers. “But Sreenivasa Prasad, despite being a Revenue Minister, has remained clean and has not even faced any allegation. As such, I would like to salute him,” the former Lokayukta said.

“Earlier, the Government was for the people and by the people, but now the government has become for some people,” he said. Prasad, in his book, has written about how politicians misuse power and official machinery for electoral gains, he added.

On the present state of Parliament and Assembly, Justice Hegde said that it costs Rs.10 crore to conduct a Parliament Session for a single day. “Unfortunately, the smooth functioning of the Parliament is blocked by MPs for various reasons without even giving scope for any discussion. Even in the recently held Assembly Session in Belagavi, there were only 22 MLAs and there were only 14 of them when a Bill was passed. This is the state of our democracy,” he regretted.