BJP State unit president Pralhad Joshi has said that the party will hold protests outside the offices of deputy commissioners in districts on May 27, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the single digit lottery scam.
Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, he said that over 100 officials in the Criminal Investigation Department were involved in the scam. “Since the scam appeared to be of the same magnitude as that of the fake stamp paper racket run by Abdul Kareem Telgi spanning over several States, an investigation by the CBI is the only way to bring out the truth,” he said.
“And after the gram panchayat polls, the party will take up the issue to take it to the logical end,” he said.
He said that as an official of the rank of Additional Director-General of Police was involved in the case, it could be spread across States and influential politicians would have been involved.
“The CID will not be able to take up impartial probe into the case,” he said.
In Belagavi, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to recommend a CBI probe into the lottery racket and illegal sand extraction in the State.
He told presspersons here on Monday that the government had become insensitive to genuine issues having an impact on the State’s economy and image. Instead of showing willpower to take action against the racket and bring the guilty to book, both the Chief Minister and Home Minister K.J. George had feigned ignorance about the issue.
“If their claims are to be believed, it proves the failure of their intelligence agencies.”
Asked if the single digit lottery racket existed even during the tenure of the BJP government and that some of the BJP MLAs too were allegedly part of the sand mafia, Mr. Eshwarappa said the sand mafia was more active in the home district of Minister for Public Works H.C. Mahadevappa.
Earlier, Basavaraj Bommai, BJP leader and former Minister, too sought a CBI probe into the illegal lottery racket.
To a question, he said that Mr. Siddaramaiah would have been aware of the issue through the Intelligence Department.
