BJP to scrap ACB, strengthen Lokayukta if voted to power

Former deputy chief minister R Ashoka on Sunday said the BJP will scrap the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and strengthen the Lokayukta if the BJP is voted to power in the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Ashoka accused the state government of using the ACB as a weapon to harass honest officers and target the Opposition leaders.

He charged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with conspiring to ruin the political career of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa by trying to foist false cases against him by misusing the ACB. The FIR filed against Yeddyurappa pertaining to the denotification of land in the proposed Shivaram Karanth Layout is a case in point, he said.

“The credit for weakening the institution of the Lokayukta, which was doing a fair and professional job, goes to Siddaramaiah. Officers who have gained publicity through the ACB happen to be close to Siddaramaiah,” Ashoka charged.

The BJP will be submitting a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala on Monday, seeking dismissal of the state government.