Congress demands Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa's resignation

The Congress on Wednesday demanded immediate resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa following adverse remarks against him by the High Court even as it questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership on corruption charges against BSY.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi alleged that the Chief Minister has been delaying the investigation of corruption charges against him and cited a Karnataka High Court order that made remarks against him as it did not allow his petition to dismiss an old corruption case against him.

"Karnataka and corruption seem to go hand in hand and are intertwined, and there is a culpable conspiratorial silence of all the powers that be, including our extremely eloquent Prime Minister, BJP president JP Nadda and the party's former chief Amit Shah. All of them maintain silence on this very special arc of immunity accorded by the BJP to Yediyurappa. It is mysterious, inexplicable and shocking," Singhvi told reporters.

He said the Congress calls for the "immediate resignation, removal, stepping down" of the chief minister, "but knowing full well that it will not happen.

Referring to the High Court judgement, he said he had raised the issue in October while citing tapes and WhatsApp messages of contractors talking about bribes paid in connection with the Rs 662-crore apartment complex project in Bengaluru.

"The chief minister should not remain even for a single minute in the chair after this strong indictment by the high court. The bottom line is simple, never let the judgment day come, never let the results to follow, let time take its own course and solve matters on its own," he said.

Earlier, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala cited a media report and tweeted, "Does CM Yediyurappa have any right to continue in office even for whiff of a second after such stinging indictment?"

"For a fair investigation and logical conclusion, CM must quit without delay. Test of PM Modi now of his promise - NA KHAUNGA, NA KHANE DOONGA," he added.