Demanding a time-bound judicial inquiry into an alleged housing scam where Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s family members are said to be involved, the Congress on Sunday asked for the resignation of the Chief Minister.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress MP and spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi alleged that the BJP government in Karnataka is “engulfed in the clutches of corruption with dented, tainted leaders ruling the roost.”
Mr. Singhvi questioned the “silence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda over the reported allegations of corruption and kickbacks against the son, son-in-law, and grandson of Mr. Yediyurappa in a ₹662-crore construction of apartments/housing project in Bengaluru.
The Congress spokesperson said documents available in the “public domain” showed the nature of transactions. He cited a purported communication between a close relative of Mr. Yediyurappa and another person referring to a bribe paid by a contractor to a top Bengaluru Development Authority official.
Mr. Singhvi claimed that an additional bribe was sought and paid through shell companies in Kolkata.
“If the Chief Minister has the slightest sense of shame, he must resign or be sacked,” he said.
“The most remarkable and virtually admitted allegations of unabashed corruption and we don’t even find a criminal investigation ... Appoint a sitting Supreme Court [judge] or a sitting Chief Justice of a High Court as an inquirer for two months,” he added.
Earlier, when Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah made the allegations against the Chief Minister in the Karnataka Assembly last month, Mr. Yediyurappa dismissed them as “baseless” and challenged the opposition leader to prove the charges.
“If you have nothing to fear, why are you not ordering an inquiry? Why an FIR has not been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act?” asked Mr. Singhvi.
