ACB: Siddaramaiah's perfect gift to the BJP

Bengaluru: The BJP, which has found common ground with  intellectuals, NGOs and civil right activists on the issue of the Anti-Corruption Bureau constituted by the state government, has decided to push its advantage and hold a massive  protest rally  on March 28  in the city.

Announcing this here on Tuesday, party state  president,  Pralhad Joshi said the issue had been raised in both Houses of the state legisalature and he had also brought it to the notice of Congress president,  Sonia Gandhi.

Charging CM Siddaramaiah with tryng to protect Justice Bhaskar Rao by weakening the Lokayukta, he warned that the BJP would not rest till the order constituting the ACB  was withdrawn.

Moving on to other matters, Mr Joshi said the party would discuss the drought and other issues at its state executive meeting soon. “As an unprecedented drought has hit the state, we have formed six teams to tour it after the legislature session ends,” he added.

Claiming there was political intolerance in Karnataka, the BJP leader said the state was seeing political murders like West Bengal and Kerala. The party, he said, would hold a rally in Mysuru on April 6 to protest  the failure of the  state government to nab the culprits responsible for the murder of a BJP worker.

Regretting that the reservations for the posts of  Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat  presidents and vice-presidents  had not been announced yet although the elections were held a month ago, he claimed this was a result of factionalism in the Congress.

Opposition ups attack on govt, writes to Sonia, Rahul
The opposition upped its attack on the government on the issue of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, shooting off letters to Congress President  Sonia Gandhi and vice president,  Rahul Gandhi to register its protest on Tuesday.

Responding to the letters of BJP state president,  Pralhad Joshi and and JD (S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shot  off one his own to the party high command in the evening.

Both Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Joshi charged that the  government had deliberately created the ACB to weaken the Lokayukta.

"Karnataka had an ACB prior to 1984 and it failed to deliver and so the state formed the Lokayukta to investigate charges of corruption against public servants. Though its police wing acted independent of the Lokayukta in corruption cases, the Lokayukta remained the administrative head helping it carry out independent investigation against political bigwigs such as ministers and the chief minister. By taking away its power of investigation and giving it to the Anti- Corruption Bureau, the very  purpose of the Lokayukta has been defeated," Mr Kumaraswamy said in his letter.

Mr Joshi, who wrote on similar lines said that the biggest weakness of the ACB was that it came under the direct control of the government. “Legal luminaries are saying  this will not stand the scrutiny of law,” he warned.