From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Mar 4: Vehemently opposing the demand for his resignation over the registration of an FIR against BJP’s Channagiri MLA Virupaksha Madal following the arrest of ruling party MLA’s son Prashanth Madal by the Lokayukta police for accepting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh and seizure of over Rs 6 crore cash, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said the Lokayukta was free to take any action as per law.

Speaking to media persons at the Murugha Mutt helipad in Chitradurga on Saturday, the chief minister asserted that that the BJP government had given a free hand to the Lokyukta to take action and made it clear that law will take its own course and the guilty will be punished.

"The opposition protests demanding my resignation over the issue is meaningless,’’ Bommai declared and argued that the Congress party has ‘’no other work.’’

High Command to decide on Virupakshappa

He said the party high command will take an appropriate decision against the
Channagiri BJP MLA Virupakshappa, who has already resigned his post as
chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd.

The Chief Minister pointed out that when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister, a case of taking a Rs 2 lakh bribe in the office of a then minister took place. "Did Siddaramaiah resign at that time? If there was Lokayukta at that time, arrests would have taken place,’’ he said accusing the Congress party of shutting down Lokayukta to suppress such incidents.
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"We are committed to rooting out corruption irrespective of the party affiliation. We don’t want to hide anything as Congress did by closing down 59 cases in the past. All these cases will be opened,’’ he said attacking the Congress party of raking up corruption issues to hide its past sins and demanding my resignation.

"Let the Congress party first see the dead asses on its plate. If they are demanding resignation now, how many times they should have resigned,’’ he asked.

'Congress has no moral right to speak on BJP'

On the Congress party’s demand for ousting the ‘’murderous governments’’ at the Centre and in the State, Bommai alleged that the maximum number of murders took place under Siddaramaiah regime. "They had withdrawn murder cases involving PFI and SDPI. What moral right does Congress have to talk about murders?’’ he asked lashing out at the dirty politics of Congress party.

The chief minister said the BJP government has ensured that the benefits of its welfare programmes reach the lowest rungs of society and wherever there are problems, they will be sorted out quickly.

He said the government was discussing with officials on increasing the pay scales of KSRTC workers and a decision will be taken soon.

Bommai said the Modi government would shortly accord the status of national
project for the Upper Bhadra project.