Karnataka Governor slams Yeddyurappa over land scam
Bangalore:Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj today slammed Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa for initiating the government
probe into the land scam row. Interacting with mediapersons here, Bhardwaj said:
"only the police had the constitutional power to investigate such allegations."
"The Supreme Court has said that the 1943 privy-council, the only forum competent
to investigate offences is the police. Nobody else has the power. So, Lokayukta
has a police, the government has a police, it may be investigated by the police,"
he added. Urging the masses to initiate action in the simmering row, Bhardwaj
said: "You, the people of Karnataka, must decide what you want to do and how to
end this row. I can just report to the President of India. I have no other power.
If I can do something, I would do so only in accordance with the constitutional
provisions." Yeddyurappa has been accused of corruption by a spectrum of political
leaders for allegedly sanctioning state-owned plots of land to his relatives.
The government has ordered a judicial probe into all land transactions over the
past two decades. Yeddyurappa is under pressure from the party high command to
step down in the wake of the alleged land scams. The Janata Dal Secular (JDS)
chief H. D. Kumaraswamy has claimed that Yeddyurappa's sons had been allotted
2.5 acres of denotified land. Kumaraswamy had also alleged that Yeddyurappa misused
his position to denotify state-owned land to favour his sons and other relations.
