Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday ruled out the resignation of state minister KJ George who has been named by the CBI in an FIR into the mysterious death of Deputy Superintendent of Police MK Ganapathy.
Defending his minister, the Congress chief minister alleged that the FIR was politically motivated and accused the BJP of politicizing the issue.
“KJ George had resigned when the FIR was filed. He was reinstated only when the state CID gave him a clean chit. This case is just BJP’s way of playing politics. They are politicizing the issue,” Siddaramaiah said at a press conference.
Holding that the CBI case was filed to “tarnish” George’s image, the CM questioned why ministers with cases against them continue to be part of the Union Cabinet.
“There are 11 ministers in Modi cabinet with serious criminal cases against them. Why doesn’t the BJP ask for their resignation,” the CM said.
The BJP has demanded the resignation of George over the cases. Besides him, former IGP (Lokayukta) Pranov Mohanty and ex-ADG of police (state intelligence) AM Prasad have also been named in the FIR.
Deputy Superintendent of Police MK Ganapathy was found dead at Madikeri on July 7 last year. The Supreme Court had handed over the probe to the CBI in September.
"Since the CBI has named George as the first accused (in the case), I demand his resignation immediately," state unit BJP president BS Yeddyurappa had told reporters on Thursday. Yeddyurappa also said the state BJP unit would stage a state-wide protest against George if he did not resign.
"It was Ganapathy's father who had moved the Supreme Court, which ordered CBI inquiry, and hence, there is no question of vendetta politics played by the BJP here," Yeddyurappa said, also seeking security for Ganapathy's family. "The family should be given security because they are very worried," he said.
The CBI has re-registered the FIR of the Karnataka Police, alleging that prior to his death, Ganapathy had alleged that George, Mohanty and Prasad would be responsible if anything happened to him.
A Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices AK Goel and UU Lalit, allowed the appeal of MK Kushalappa, the father of the deceased police officer, filed against the order of the Karnataka High Court rejecting his plea for a CBI probe into the case.
It had asked the CBI to file a status report on the probe before it within three months.
(With PTI inputs)
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