JD(S) to Boycott Yeddy’s Judicial Probe on Land Scams
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Nov 23: In a bid to create further embarrassment to beleaguered chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is under pressure from the BJP national high command as also from the opposition parties over the alleged land scams, nepotism, favouritism, irregularities and allegations of corruption, the JD(S) has decided to boycott the judicial probe ordered by the BJP government into all land scams during the last 15 years.
The one-man judicial probe headed by retired high court judge B Padmaraj into all the land allotments, illegal distribution of G category of sites, denotifications to favour his sons, daughters and son-in-laws and other family members as also during the tenure of five of his predecessors since January 1, 1995 was ''nothing but an eyewash and a ploy to give decent burial" to the charges against Yeddyurapa, JD(S) floor leader in the assembly H D Revanna and senior leader and former law minister M C Nanaiah declared.
The JD(S) leaders, who addressed a news conference, contended that the judicial probe would not serve any purpose as it was unlikely to bring out the truth.
''Nobody expects any retired high court judge to inquire into all the land denotifications and alleged irregularities and nepotism in the distribution of sites during the last 15 years since January 1, 1995 till November 22, 2010 within a year," they said arguing that the chief minister’s objective was to give a quiet burial to the charges against him.
Instead of resorting to the subterfuge of seeking to give a quiet burial to the charges against him and divert public attention by attempting to throw mud at the opposition parties, the JD(S) leaders contended that the government could have entrusted the inquiry to Karnataka Lokayukta headed by a retired Supreme Court judge Santhosh Hegde, who is widely respected.
Pointing out that Lokayukta Justice Hegde had all the requisite expertise in unearthing similar scams and even summon documents, the JD(S) leaders said the fate of the judicial inquiries was well-known. ''No action had been taken on previous judicial reports and they have all been silently buried, ‘’ they alleged.
They pointed out that JD(S) has already filed a complaint on 78 cases of denotification, including eight involving acts of alleged nepotism by Yeddyurappa.
The officials had been denying information as the chief minister himself and his children and other close family members as well as several ministers were involved in the land scam, they alleged.
The chief minister favoured his children and relatives in the allotment of lands and housing sites, they alleged and demanded his resignation.
The JD (S) leaders said governor H R Bhardjwaj and the Central government have to break their silence on involvement of the chief minister in land scams and demand his resignation.
Both Nanaiah and Revanna sharply criticised the action of several seers belonging to prominent Lingayat Mutts in openly defending the allegations against chief minister on caste lines and demanded that any person who violated the law should be punished.
The party released another a set of documents highlighting alleged illegal purchase of lands earmarked for roads by a firm owned by Yeddyurappa’s kin, who had bought the land for a ''meagre" amount of Rs 8 crore, causing Rs 25 crore loss to Bangalore Development Authority, Revanna alleged.
He also alleged that Yeddyurappa denotified five acres at 5th stage of Banashankari, 16 years after BDA acquired and formed residential sites, Revanna said.