I’m neither an appointing authority nor the removing authority, says Kagodu Thimmappa
Legislative Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of initiating action against Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on the basis of a CD allegedly containing a conversation between the former Chief Minister and a party worker from Bijapur on the Legislative Council elections.
In the course of the conversation with party worker Vijugouda Patil, Mr. Kumaraswamy is alleged to have said that JD(S) MLAs were demanding money to vote for a party nominee to the Council.
Mr. Thimmappa told The Hindu that he was “neither an appointing authority nor the removing authority” concerning MLAs.
Chairman of the Legal and Human Rights Department of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee C.M. Dhananjaya on Tuesday sought the Speaker’s permission for “prosecuting” 40 JD(S) MLAs, including Mr. Kumaraswamy, for “openly talking” about corruption in the elections to the Council.
In his memorandum, Mr. Dhananjaya alleged that asking money from his party worker to pay for the JD(S) MLAs to vote amounted to corruption under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and hence permission should be accorded to prosecute Mr. Kumaraswamy and other MLAs of his party.
Mr. Dhananjaya, who also presented copies of his petitions to Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao and Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Anil Kumar Jha, said Mr. Kumaraswamy had not denied the charges or the alleged conversation in the CD. On the other hand, Mr. Kumaraswamy had defended it. Mr. Dhananjaya also demanded that the CD and mobile phones of all JD (S) MLAs be seized to “ascertain the truth”.
He recalled that Mr. Kumaraswamy, on July 9, made a statement on the floor of the Assembly admitting that he had asked for cash. The memorandum urged the Speaker to suspend all JD(S) MLAs.
JD(S) MLA Y.S.V. Datta said the reported conversation took place elsewhere and hence it did not come under the purview of the Speaker.
(The Hindu)
