Though BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa has been acquitted by a special CBI court in a case related to receiving illegal gratification from mining companies, he will be punished by the people in the 2018 Assembly polls, Home Minister G. Parameshwara has said. Mr. Parameshwara was addressing a convention of Congress workers here on Wednesday. Mr. Yeddyurappa has been acquitted owing to lack of evidences to prove the charges of corruption levelled against him, Mr. Parameshwara said, adding that the people of Karnataka are aware of his indulgence in misuse of power to fulfil his selfish needs.
Commenting on the claim by BJP leaders that they would win more than 150 seats in the next Assembly elections, Mr. Parameshwara said the the party’s dream of returning to power will not be fulfilled. “Frustrated by the defeat they tasted in the previous Assembly election in the State, the BJP leaders are time and again trying to disrupt the communal harmony. The people of the State— who have firm belief in secularism and cultural pluralism — will not support the BJP that practices divisive politics,” he said.
He expressed displeasure that though Karnataka is reeling under drought for the second consecutive year, the financial assistance from the Union government to take up relief works in drought-affected areas is not on expected levels. K.B. Prasanna Kumar, MLA for Shivamogga, R. Prasanna Kumar, MLC, and party district president T.N. Srinivas were present.
On new prison complex
Mr. Parameshwara said that the work related to construction of a new prison complex in Sogane on the outskirts of the city will be completed in three months. He paid a visit to the prison complex on Wednesday and inspected the progress of the work.
The project to construct a new prison complex with a capacity to accommodate 500 men and 100 women prisoners was taken up in 2009 at a cost of Rs. 54 crore.
Mr. Parameshwara told press persons that the cost of the project was later revised to Rs 79.76 crore. The State government has released the additional Rs 25.76 crore also, he said. He directed the contractor — who had bagged tender for the project — to complete the pending works in three months. He also inspected the functioning of the control room at the office of the District Police here.
