Former CJI Rajendra Babu may head border panel

The State government has written to former Chief Justice of India S Rajendra Babu seeking to appoint him as the chairman of the Karnataka Border Protection Commission (KBPC).

The post has fallen vacant after the demise of KBPC chairman and former Chief Justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts, V S Malimath.

Speaking to mediapersons at the Sambra airport here on Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government would soon appoint a chairperson to the KBPC and was awaiting Babu’s response.

“The State government is committed to fighting the border dispute and will soon appoint a chairman to the KBPC. We are awaiting a response from Justice Rajendra Babu, after which an appointment order will be issued,” he said.

Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka and the government will would not bow to any kind of pressure from Maharashtra, he stressed.

Speaking on the Kalasa-Banduri nala diversion project, the chief minister said that he had written to Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, urging him to hold talks on the issue with an all-party delegation from Karnataka. But there has been no response from the neighbouring state in this regard, he added.

Even after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union government has refused to intervene in the issue, he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has sought a report from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara asking for the reason for the defeat of the party’s candidate Veerkumar Patil in the recently concluded elections to the Legislative Council from the local bodies constituency in Belagavi district. Suitable action will be taken on the basis of the report, Siddaramaiah said.

Responding to allegations by Janata Dal (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda that the Siddaramaiah government was the most corrupt in the State, the chief minister said that the JD(S) lost even in its bastion Hassan, hence the former prime minister was making such allegations to vent his “frustration”.