Bangalore: BJP doesn't have courage to meet me over corruption: H R Bhardwaj

Tumkur, Jan 12 (PTI): Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj today said the BJP does not have the courage to approach him over the matter of corruption.

"BJP does not have courage to come to me," he told reporters here on the sidelines of convocation of Tumkur University when he was asked about BJP leaders demanding his intervention to urge Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to drop "tainted" D K Shivakumar and Roshan Baig, from the ministry.

Asked if his zeal to press for dropping of "tainted" ministers from Siddaramaiah's ministry was missing as it was evident during the previous BJP rule, Bhardwaj said, "I have never been a rubber stamp even as a minister; as a Parliamentarian and as a lawyer."

A former Congress state unit working president, Shivakumar is facing allegations of illegal mining and land scam. Baig is under cloud over land-grab charge. He had resigned as minister in 2003 for alleged links with the multi-crore Karim Telgi fake stamp paper scam.

Bhardwaj said he had dealt firmly against the most powerful chief ministers earlier.

"Who all are they may be, I am for the service of the people and during my stay I have demonstrated it. They were very powerful chief ministers there.. I dealt (with) them firmly and you are all witness (to this) and this process started from Tumkur," he added.

Shivakumar and Baig, who are viewed as "scam tainted", were inducted on January 3, reportedly to the chagrin of Siddaramaiah who had kept them out of the ministry for several months.

Siddaramaiah's move has not gone down well with civil society groups and several prominent public figures, who had been opposing induction of Shivakumar and Baig, besides triggering discontent among ministerial aspirants.