Governor sanctions criminal prosecution of Yeddyurappa

Mtoday news / PTI

Bangalore, August 3:  On a day when his successor is likely to be announced, BS Yeddyurappa has been dealt another blow. The Governor of Karnataka has sanctioned the prosecution of Mr Yeddyurappa for corruption.

Governor HR Bhardwaj has accepted the report on illegal mining that indicts Mr Yeddyurappa for misusing his public office and accepting kickbacks from mining companies. Prepared by Santosh Hegde while he was the ombudsman or Lokayukta of Karnataka, the report forced a reluctant Mr Yeddyurappa to resign over the weekend.

 

The Governor says he has reviewed Mr Hegde’s report and agrees with it. Criminal proceedings against Mr Yeddyurappa will now begin under the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

The BJP is meeting today in Karnataka to decide who should be the new Chief Minister. Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh have flown to Bangalore to serve as observers as MLAs elect their new leader.  Mr Yeddyurappa, who claims the support of 70 MLAs, says his choice is Sadananda Gowda, the Lok Sabha MP from Udipi. The BJP has 121 MLAs. They have gathered at the Capitol Hotel in Bangalore. Mr Yeddyurappa had told the BJP that his exit was conditional upon his having a considerable say in who would replace him.

MLAs were seen arriving in buses, cheering loudly for Mr Yeddyurappa. Another lot showed up brandishing the Victory sign - they are part of a camp of about 50 MLAs led by Ananth Kumar, a political rival of Mr Yeddyurappa, who is backing Jagadish Shettar as the new Chief Minister. Mr Shettar is from the same Lingayat community as the outgoing Chief Minister. Unhappy with the idea of another leader emerging within the Lingayats, Mr Yeddyurappa is staunchly opposing Mr Shettar’s candidacy.