MLA graft case: Basavaraj Bommai calls for impartial Lokayukta probe

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday called for an “impartial and judicious” investigation by the Lokayukta on a corruption case involving BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa and his son Prashant who was trapped while taking a bribe.

The case has caused much embarrassment to the ruling BJP, which was already on the defensive over the ‘40 per cent commission’ allegation that Congress has made into its war cry ahead of the Assembly election.

“Lokayukta is an independent body. Let there be an impartial probe. Let the guilty be punished. This is our stand and there’s no change in it. Let Lokayukta be judicious. Let everything come out - whose money it was and for whom it was meant,” Bommai said.

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Lokayukta cops on Thursday arrested the Channagiri MLA’s son for taking a bribe of Rs 40 lakh over a government contract.

Prashanth Madal, a chief accountant in BWSSB, was “caught red-handed” taking the bribe on behalf of his father Madal Virupakshappa. Lokayukta police said they seized a total of Rs 2.2 cr from Prashanth. The MLA and his son have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Bommai said the BJP government “re-established” the Lokayukta expressly to regulate corruption without any corruption.

“Without Lokayukta, many such cases happened under Congress that were closed,” Bommai said, hitting back at Congress that has latched on to Virupakshappa’s case to buttress its attack on the BJP government over corruption.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar has demanded Bommai’s resignation. “He kept asking for proof on the commission allegation. Now, Lokayukta itself has provided proof,” he said.

Bommai retorted by saying there were 59 cases of corruption against Congress lawmakers and ministers. “The cases were closed using the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). That’s proof that they hushed up the cases. Now, we’ve given those cases to Lokayukta and everything will come out. There’s no question of us hushing anything up,” Bommai said.

Bommai said the Congress cannot piggyback on Virupakshappa’s case and claim to be clean. “There were enough corruption cases when they were in power,” he said.