BENGALURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday stood behind his beleaguered cabinet colleague and
Bengaluru development minister
KJ George who has been named Accused No. 1 in the FIR filed by the CBI (Chennai) in connection with DySP MK Ganapathi’s suicide.
“I have to collect details about the FIR against George. I will react later,” Siddaramaiah said, before asking: “Should George resign just because the BJP and Yeddyurappa ask for it? The BJP leaders too have faced allegations.”
Sources in the Congress told TOI the CM has decided not to succumb to any pressure from the BJP which has threatened to launch statewide protests on Friday if George does not resign.
The FIR news broke out even as the cabinet was holding a scheduled meeting. The CM later held discussions with George, public works minister H C Mahadevappa and energy minister D K Shivakumar.
Sources said the CM was advised against immediately asking for George’s resignation as the CBI’s action was politically motivated and designed to suit the BJP's interests in the run-up to the assembly polls. “Instead of making George resign, let us try to use the situation to expose the BJP which is indulging in a political witch-hunt. The BJP had earlier got the income-tax department to conduct raids against Shivakumar,” the CM was told.
BJP state president
B S Yeddurappa
said: “George has to resign, he has no moral authority to remain in power.”
‘Vendetta politics’* This is vendetta politics being played out by the Centre. It is politically motivated and we will not allow George to resign
K R Ramesh Kumar
| health minister
* Perhaps the CBI smelt biryani in the files of the case against George and so decided to file a FIR. The CBI has filed the FIR without even opening the case file.
CM
Ibrahim | MLC
* Our party had protested against the probe by the CID. We had said the CID probe would not be impartial and was only aimed at giving a clean chit to George.
Jagadish Shettar (BJP) | leader of opposition in legislative assembly.
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