Pot Calls Kettle Black: Cong Demands Halappa’s Arrest, CBI Inquiry
From Our Special Correspodent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, May 2: Like the proverbial pot calling the kettle black, the Congress leaders in Karnataka have raised the demand for the immediate arrest of Hartalu Halappa, who resigned as Food and Civil Supplies Minister this morning over a newspaper report regarding his alleged sexual molestation of the wife of a close friend in Shimoga in their residence, and also a CBI inquiry into the entire incident.
Whether the allegation regarding the incident, which happened in January but surfaced now after four months, is true or not, it must be admitted the ``guilty’’ person had resigned his ministerial position within hours of the publication of the newspaper report by speaking to the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who was away in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, over telephone and faxed it. The Chief Minister has also promptly accepted the resignation and directed his office to forward it to Raj Bhavan for Governor H R Bhardwaj’s acceptance.
Not just that. Soon after Raj Bhavan’s acceptance of the minister’s resignation, the chief minister has taken steps to entrust the portfolio held by Halappa to Transport Minister R Ashok as additional charge. All this has happened within a matter of hours on Sunday morning, despite being a weekly holiday and the chief minister being outside the state, and even before Yeddyurpapa could return to Bangalore.
But KPCC President R V Deshpande, who has served as a cabinet minister under different chief ministers, and V S Ugrappa, who recently retired as Opposition Leader in the State Legislative Council, have in separate media interactions demanded that the minister should be arrested and a CBI inquiry instituted. To derive more political mileage out of the incident, the Congress leaders have also demanded that the chief minister himself should resign owning moral responsibility as he had taken the oath to protect the life and liberties of the citizens.
Irrespective of whether the allegations against Halappa are true or not, it must accepted that the chief minister as well as the minister concerned have taken very swift and prompt action. It is perhaps for the first time that a chief minister, who was touring outside the state, had accepted the resignation of a senior cabinet colleague from his own home district of Shimoga merely because of a newspaper report about an incident that is alleged to have taken place some four months back without any written complaint either to the police or any other authorities.
Taking sharp exception to the demands and attempts by the Congress leaders to derive political mileage of an incident and also create embarrassment to the ruling BJP, when the state is facing the crucial grama panchayat elections, Yeddyurappa’s close supporters have accused the Congressmen of adopting double standards.
``We all know what happened in Hyderabad Raj Bhavan and the alleged sexual escapades of the former Andhra Pradesh Governor N D Tiwari inside Raj Bhavan. The television footage of the sexual deeds of the Governor had been telecast all over the country. But all that the Congress party did was ask Tiwari to pack his bags,” a senior BJP leader told Daijiworld on condition of anonymity.
``If Yeddyurappa’s resignation is sought for Halappa’s alleged molestation of a woman (some four months ago without any oral or written complaint to the police or other authorities) merely on the strength of a newspaper report, who resigned when Tiwari’s alleged sexual acts were beamed on television? Did the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is the UPA chairperson, or the President Pratibha Patil, who technically is the appointing authority of all governors, resign? Why this double-standard now?,’’ he asked.
Referring to the recent resignation of the Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor over his ``proven” involvement in setting up the Kochy franchise of Indian Primier League or the allotment of Rs 80 crore as ``sweat equity” to his lady-friend Sunanda Pushkar, the BJP leader taunted the Congressmen on whether the Prime Minister or Congress President resign over the issue. Also, why don’t these Congress leaders ask Tharoor’s senior minister S M Krishna, a former chief minister of Karnataka, to resign for the misdemeanors of his junior colleague?, he wondered.
The BJP leader also referred to the alleged involvement of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Union Civil Avitation Minister Praful Patel, for the involvement of their son-in-law Sadananad Sule or daughter Poorna Patel respectively in IPL, and wondered why nobody was arrested or CBI inquiry instituted. ``We all know that the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate authorities have been investigation IPL and different franchisees. But did anybody, other than poor Tharoor, resign or a CBI inquiry ordered?,” he asked.
In a pointed reference to Union Communication Minister Raja’s alleged involvement in the irregularities in the purchase of equipments for state-owned BSNL and the spectrum auction resulting in hundreds of crores of rupees losses to the exchequer, the BJP leader wanted to know if anybody had resigned over the issue and whether a CBI inquiry ordered.
``There is no justification for targeting the chief minister for some alleged incident that may or may not have taken place four months back against a minister, especially when there is no formal written or even oral complaint,” the BJP leader said.