BS Yeddyurappa wants CBI to probe payoff to Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Demanding a CBI probe into tendering process adopted by the state government for the controversial steel flyover project, state BJP president B.S.Yeddyurappa on Thursday said his party would continue the agitation in support of an inquiry though the state government took a decision to scrap the project.

He told the media here his party would insist on an inquiry as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was allegedly involved and his family received Rs 65 crores as mentioned in the diary purportedly belonging to Congress MLC K Govindaraj. "We also demand an inquiry into the role of ministers who made payments of Rs 500 to Rs 600 crores to party leaders in Delhi. The state  government has scrapped the proposed project following apprehensions about BJP's agitation. Moreover, contractors were hesitant to come forward to take up the project," he added.

When members of civil society and environmentalists opposed the project, the government had defended steel flyover on grounds that it would not yield to pressure from the civil society. How come it has taken a sudden decision to drop the project?, queried Mr Yeddyurappa.

In Mysuru, the former CM labelled Siddaramaiah as the most corrupt CM in the country and insisted that his family had received a kickback of Rs 65 crore in the flyover deal.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Yeddyurappa challenged Siddaramaiah to hand over  both the  Govindraju and Lehar Singh diaries to the CBI for investigation. " It will then be proved that a Rs 65 crore  kickback was received in the steel bridge project by the CM's family and it will  become inevitable for Mr Siddaramaiah to resign. Mr K J George too may have to get ready to resign. But I will be satisfied only with Mr Siddaramaiah's resignation," he said.