Siddu tried to influence KPSC selection process: HDK

Mythri contacted Commission members to offer bribes, he claims

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday made a serious allegation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of misusing his office and trying to influence the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) selection process.

Addressing reporters, he alleged that Siddaramaiah had made 72 phone calls to a KPSC member during the interview process between May 7 and 27 this year. The chief minister wanted the KPSC to favour a candidate in the selection, he charged.

“Why would a chief minister call a member of the KPSC 72 times? Was he calling to enquire about the member’s health? Does he want to know what he (KPSC member) had for his breakfast? Does he want to know what was the menu for lunch?” Kumaraswamy said.

He refused to name the KPSC member who was contacted by Siddaramaiah and demanded that the chief minister should resign.

“I can only say that he recently retired and resides in Kumara Krupa. Let the chief minister respond. Then I will release the rest of the details. He has contacted almost all members of the KPSC,” said Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy claimed that the government, in April 2014, prior to the Lok Sabha elections, had dispatched letters to the KPSC asking them to stop the interview process on account of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held later that month.

“There is also another reason for the list of KPSC selected candidates to be withdrawn.
The co-brother of the son-in-law of Kempaiah, the newly appointed advisor to the Home Minister, was writing the examination under the Scheduled Tribe  reservation quota. Kempaiah had a lot of hope that his relative, Chandrashekar, may be appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP). But he was not selected. There was only one post of DySP under the ST reservation,” claimed Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy claimed that the KPSC scam whistle-blower Dr Mythri called KPSC member Mangala Sridhar no less than nine times, offering her money in return for her selection. He also claimed that Mythri met the father of KPSC member, Muniyappa, to offer money for her selection. 

Kumaraswamy said the CID report was a complete sham and that there was not a single piece of evidence which proved corruption in the recruitment of probationary officers by KPSC members.

The JD(S) leader said the Cabinet does not have the authority to scrap the KPSC recruitment, as it is only the State legislature which can do so.

“It has been duly noted in a 34-page opinion given to the government by Rajagopal, the in-house lawyer for KPSC, that the withdrawal of the notification to select candidates can only be done by an Act of the legislature. Let the chief minister call a special session, we will discuss it there,” he said.