Congress to march to Raj Bhavan seeking HD Kumaraswamy's prosecution

Bengaluru: All Congress lawmakers, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, will walk from Vidhana Soudha to Raj Bhavan this Saturday to urge Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to sanction the prosecution of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and three former BJP ministers on corruption charges. 

The Congress government has already urged the Governor, through a Cabinet decision, that he should act on pending prosecution sanction requests against Kumaraswamy, BJP's Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani and Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha's G Janardhan Reddy.

Announcing the march, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar picked holes in Kumaraswamy's claim that he had not signed on the file granting mining lease to the "dubious" Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals when he was the chief minister in 2007, in whose connection the Lokayukta has sought his prosecution. 

The Lokayukta sought the Governor's sanction to prosecute Kumaraswamy in November last year. 

"Why didn’t Kumaraswamy, who is known for his honesty, lodge a complaint that his signature was forged," Shivakumar asked. "I don’t know why he is delaying lodging a complaint."

Shivakumar also read out contradictory excerpts from Kumaraswamy’s bail application. "In the affidavit, Kumaraswamy has admitted that he approved the mining licence to Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals. The FIR in the case was registered in 2011 itself. If he hadn't signed the file, why would he apply for bail," the Congress leader asked. 

Saturday’s foot march will start at 10 am from the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said. “The CM, all ministers, MLAs, MLCs and MPs will attend the march."

"The Governor has not sanctioned the prosecution of BJP-JD(S) leaders despite an investigation that was done against them. But in CM Siddaramaiah’s case, sanction was given without even a preliminary investigation,” Shivakumar said.