New Delhi: Congress on Friday said the BJP
government in Karnataka should immediately take steps to
persuade Justice Santosh Hegde to reconsider his decision to
resign from the post of Lokayukta in the state.
The party also demanded a probe into the alleged "nexus"
between "the mining lobby and BJP leaders".
"We demand that there should be a probe into the nexus
between mining lobby and the BJP leaders and the party at all
levels. The state government should immediately take steps to
persuade Justice Hegde to reconsider his decision," party
spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters here.
The spokesperson expressed "shock and concern" over the
resignation of the state Lokayukta saying he was a person of
highest integrity and stature.
Natarajan said that Hegde has expressed his
unwillingness to continue in the post due to "obstructive and
uncooperative" attitude of the state government.
She said Justice Hegde, who has been a crusader against
corruption and has won the respect of all sections for his
tremendous contribution as a Lokayukta, cited several
instances, in particular the suspension of an honest officer
who exposed the theft of iron ore belonging to the state worth
over Rs 250 crore.
"We are shocked that the Karnataka government in
violation of all probity is penalising honest officers and
protecting and reinstating corrupt officers thereby leading to
rampant corruption in the state," Natarajan said.
PTI
