BJP stages demonstration, says DKS, Jarkiholi must quit

 Thousands of BJP workers led by party state president B S Yeddyurappa on Friday staged a demonstration, demanding resignation of Energy Minister D K Shivakumar and Small Scale Industries Minister Ramesh L Jarkiholi in the wake of searches and seizures by the Income Tax Department sleuths on their houses.

The police took Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa, former ministers R Ashoka, Govind Karjol and Shobha Karandlaje into preventive custody when they were marching to lay a siege to the Vidhana Soudha. The leaders were taken away from Race Course Road by a BMTC bus and released later.

 The protesters raised slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government for indulging in “corruption.”  Yeddyurappa said the BJP would conduct a week-long protest in all the Assembly constituencies, demanding the resignation of corrupt Congress ministers.

Referring to registration of FIRs against him by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly de-notifying acres of land for Shivaram Karanth Layout, the former chief minister said: “Let the Congress government file more FIRs against me. I am not afraid of the Congress party or the ACB.” Ashoka claimed that the I-T sleuths have seized documents relating to disproportionate assets worth over Rs 300 crore from a minister. Siddaramaiah has denotified 900 acres in Arkavathy Layout and indulged in corruption, he charged.

Shobha stated that the Congress had derailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare schemes in the state.

The BJP leaders also referred to Hublot watch controversy involving Siddaramaiah and ‘’corruption” in renewing licenses of bars.