Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday defended Backward Classes Minister C. Puttaranga Shetty over the recovery of ₹25.76 lakh from his office staff in the Vidhana Soudha, even as the Opposition BJP staged a State-wide protest seeking his resignation.
The police on Friday took Mr. Shetty’s staff Mohan into custody while he was carrying the cash in a bag.
“There is no need for Mr. Shetty to resign. As he belongs to the Backward Classes, some people are unable to tolerate it. If someone else takes the money, linking it to the Minister is not right,” Mr. Shivakumar told presspersons here.
Meanwhile, the BJP staged protests across the State. In Hubballi, BJP State president and Leader of the Opposition B.S. Yeddyurappa said that corruption was there in the nuke and corner of the Vidhan Soudha. “The coalition government is seeped in corrupt practises,” he alleged.
