Former Lokayukta Justice N.Santosh Hegde’s report on illegal mining in 2011 not only toppled then Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa from office but also played a role in the State’s electorate voting out the BJP government in 2013. The Hindu spoke to him on whether corruption is a poll issue in 2018. Excerpts from an interview:
Will corruption play as important a role in the 2018 Assembly elections as it did in 2013?
No, I don’t see corruption as an issue at all in this election. Unlike in 2013, today there is no perception of any difference between political parties over the issue. In 2013, the Congress, which was in the Opposition, promised to implement the report on illegal mining. The first thing it did after it came to power was to begin weakening the Lokayukta by forming an Anti Corruption Bureau which works under the government and robbing the Lokayukta police of the power to investigate cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It did nothing to implement the illegal mining report.
B.S. Yeddyurappa had to resign after your report on illegal mining in 2011. He is back as the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP.
His choice as the chief ministerial candidate clearly indicates a crisis of leadership in the party and also smacks of an attitude that “it doesn’t matter.” Yeddyurappa claims he has no case pending against him. But appeals against the setting aside of FIRs by the High Court on technical grounds are still pending in the Supreme Court. The stigma is still there.
The Reddy brothers and others involved in illegal mining are back in the political fray. What are your views on this?
The BJP has given tickets to seven people from the Reddy camp. Amit Shah’s claims of distancing the party from Janardhan Reddy rings hollow. But the Congress is not lagging behind. It led a padayatra from Bengaluru to Ballari over illegal mining, but has taken into its fold Anand Singh and B. Nagendra who are accused of illegal mining and given them tickets. This shows that political parties will promise anything to come to power and do anything to retain it.
