Accusing the Union government of misusing Central agencies like Income Tax (IT) Department and CBI, former MP R. Dhruvanarayan said the IT raids against former Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and former Minister R.L. Jalappa’s institutions were ‘politically motivated’. “Why are only Congress leaders being targeted? Clearly, the BJP wants to stifle the Opposition,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP leaders carried out ‘Operation Kamala’ recently to install the B.S. Yeddiyurappa government in the State by allegedly luring MLAs from the Congress and JD(S). “The ‘sponsors’ of the exercise were rewarded with the posts of Deputy Chief Ministers. Why can’t the Central agencies probe them,” he sought to know.
Mr. Dhruvanarayan even recalled the lavish wedding of former Minister G. Janardhan Reddy’s daughter in Palace Grounds in Bengaluru and asked why the agencies did not inquire into the source of funding for the ostentatious wedding of the BJP leader’s daughter.
Clarifying that he was not against the IT raids per se, the former MP said that the institutions belonging to the two leaders were contributing to the social cause of providing education to rural and backward classes.
PM’s anti-media attitude
Mr. Dhruvanarayan also condemned the curbs imposed on media personnel with cameras in the Legislative Assembly during the three-day session that began on Thursday.
He said the curbs imposed by Karnataka Assembly Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri were in line with the anti-media attitude of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has not convened a single press conference so far. “This is unlike former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who used to make it a point to address a conference every year and take questions from media representatives,” he said.
The BJP government also came under attack from Mr. Dhruvanarayan for its failure to hold its Legislature Session in Belagavi, which incidentally was part of the districts in North Karnataka that had suffered in the recent floods.
