Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 21: Allegations and counter allegations are being exchanged by Karnataka chief minister (CM), Siddaramaiah, and his predecessor, B S Yeddyurappa, over the corruption scandals they are reportedly involved with. Expletives are being hurled, wild charges are being levelled, claims and counter claims are being made, and allegations are being heaped, all of which the leaders facing them and their followers say are baseless. Personal vilification and addressing each other in the singular are also being witnessed. Instead of showing maturity and good sense, the leaders seem to be behaving like neighbours involved with street brawl.

It appears that the two parties are paving the pitch for the forthcoming election that is still a year away. While Siddaramaiah said that he does not need to learn about providing corruption-free administration from those who had earlier been sent to jail for the same offence, and threatened to conduct investigation into the former CM's affairs and make documents public in relation to the corruption cases involving Yeddyurappa.

Meanwhile Yeddyurappa has challenged Siddaramaiah to make the documents public. He also has vowed to send Siddaramaiah and his followers to jail within a day of becoming chief minister.

BJP held protests at various places in Karnataka against the state government on Monday February 20 on this issue. At the protest held in the city, Yeddyurappa rained accusations and abuses against the current CM. He said that his party will rise to power in the next election, and that he will order detailed investigation against the scandals involving the CM and his family members immediately after becoming the CM. He said he will ensure that these people are sent to jail.

Yeddyurappa and Siddaramaiah

Yeddyurappa accused Siddaramaiah of concentrating on giving the scandals that have happened in different government departments a decent burial without investigating them. He wanted to know whether it is true that the income tax department had unearthed Rs 170 crore of illegal assets during the raid on the house of president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee's women's wing.

"I will not tolerate if you speak lightly of me. You are trying to point fingers at the BJP by keeping corrupt ministers and indulging in daylight robbery and plundering the exchequer," he told Siddaramaiah. He reiterated his earlier claim that Rs 65 crore commission was paid to Siddaramaiah and his close ones for the proposed steel bridge in the city, and that this has found a mention in the diary belonging to MLC,Govindaraju. He said he is ready to retire from politics if this fact is proved to be false.

Siddaramaiah lampooned Yeddyurappa for talking about clean administration in spite of facing 20 corruption cases. He said Yeddyurappa is dreaming of coming to power and sending the former to jail. "He is a liar par excellence who makes claims without any proof. He thinks that everyone does what he had done in the past. It would be wrong to expect me to reel under such tactics," he retorted.

Reacting strongly to Siddaramaiah's threat to expose those who had hatched conspiracy against him, leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, K S Eshwarappa, said at Belagavi that his party is determined to expose Siddaramaiah, who is indulging in large scale corruption. He stated that the real colours of the CM and his close ones will be revealed to the people once investigation about the diary and CD recovered during the income tax raid is completed.