New Delhi, July 21 (ANI):Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) leader Sitaram Yechury on Thursday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa, after the state Lokayukta, Justice Santosh N Hegde, indicted him in mining scam.
The Lokayukta conducted enquiry into the cases of illegal mining and distribution of government land.
In his report, Justice Hegde mentioned that Yeddyurappa was indirectly involved in an illegal mining scam and his close family members were directly involved in it.
Hedge called scam of illegal mining as huge and added that, within a span of 14 months, scam worth Rs 1800 crores has already occurred in the state.
Hegde, who is also the former judge of India's apex court, is slated to submit his report to the Chief Secretary on Friday.
Yechury said if the BJP would not take a stand over Yeddyurappa, then their credibility in the fight against corruption would go for a toss.
"It is a very serious indictment and I think with this serious indictment the chief minister should not continue in the office. We have been saying this earlier and now what was our apprehensiions have been proved by the Lokayukta (Ombudsman) reports. So, I think there is no moral authority left in Karnataka chief minister to continue in office. We really hope that BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) will take this decision otherwise its credibility in the fight against corruption will also be seriously compromised," he said.
However, Chief Minister Yeddyurappa had rejected Justice Hegde's earlier report on illegal mining, submitted in December 2008, and ordered formulation of another committee to conduct the investigation.
Yechury further said sole Ombudsman Bill is not a solution to all the problems. Government needs to introduce electoral reforms and National Judicial Commission in order to remove corruption from the ground level.
"One cannot solve all the problems through just Lokpal (Ombudsman) bill. Till the time you will not introduce electoral reforms, where there is no caps over the money power and till the time one will not introduce National Judicial Commission to look after the allegations made on judiciary, till the time all three are not introduced together, till then we cannot make our fight strong against corruption," he said.
The meeting on the Lokpal Bill on June 22 between the federal government and the civil society concluded with divergent views on six key issues.
The key issues of differences were on inclusion of the Prime Minister, higher judiciary and Members of Parliament within the purview of the Ombudsman committee and the mode of selection and removal of its members.
Two sets of drafts - one by the government and the other by the civil society representatives were circulated amongst political parties and the proposals would be forwarded to the federal cabinet for the final drafting of the bill.
In order to garner public supporting favour of the civil society version of Lokpal (Ombudsman) Bill, veteran social activist Anna Hazare along with his team initiated a 'referendum' on the law in Chandni Chowk, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Sibal on Thursday.
According to media reports, the volunteers of 'India Against Corruption' (IAC) visited ten localities in Chandni Chowk.
They also distributed a two-page questionnaire having eight questions to voters in the constituency to gather feedback from the electorate.
Graft has long been a part of daily life, but a series of recent scandals - which include violations in granting telecom licences that cost the country 39 billion dollars in lost revenue - are unprecedented. (ANI)
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