Let the Opposition produce proof, this is not a banana republic: KJ George
Taking the BJP and JD(S) head-on for demanding his resignation over the suicide of a senior police officer, Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George on Thursday accused them of politicising the issue and challenged them to produce evidence, instead of shouting from the streets and going to the media against him.
“If they produce any evidence that I had a role in the suicide of Mr Ganapati, I am ready to face the consequences. How can they pass judgment before investigation has even begun?” he told Deccan Chronicle.Asserting that the truth would come out only after the investigation was completed, he said, “If my CM feels I have done something wrong, he will be the first to seek my resignation. When the news broke out, I could not even place who this officer was. I knew one Mr Ganapati, who is a retired police officer, but had to dig through the records to recall this Mr Ganapati and his interaction with me.”
About the charge that he was against the late DySP because of his handling of the church attack case in 2008, he said if that was true, how could he have been posted to Rajarajeshwari Nagar after he took over as home minister. “He was suspended by the then police commissioner Raghavendra Auradhkar and approached me to get reinstated. But I refused to interfere as the inquiry was pending. He was subsequently reinstated within a month,” he recalled, adding that while going through the records he realised that Mr Ganapati was the second accused in the case between advocates and the police during BJP rule in the state. As for the TV interview that the officer gave before his suicide, the minister pointed out that it was only in response to the anchor’s question that Mr Ganapati had said if anything happened to him these three persons would be responsible.
“He did not say anything about committing suicide because of harassment from the three,” Mr George said, adding that even if the harassment theory was correct, the officer could have brought it to the attention of his successor, Dr G Parameshwar. “Mr Ganapati could have approached him about the harassment, but he did not,” he said. On the alleged interference of retired IPS officer Kempaiah in the home ministry, he said he was appointed on his request. “Mr Kempaiaha’s experience as a police officer helped me immensely in handling the department,” he said. As for being targeted by the opposition, he said it was only because he was an important leader of the party. “If I had resigned on the opposition’s demand, I should have resigned over 100 times by now. They should give evidence so a case can be booked against me. This is not a banana republic, where decisions are taken on the basis of mob mentality. There is a Constitution and there is a system in place and things have to go accordingly,”he said.
