BJP Government in Karnataka headed by CM B.S. Yediyurappa is allegedly involved in the most brazen acts of corruption and misuse of power. The undue interference in day-to-day administration by his maverick younger son B.Y. Vijayendra and other close relatives is alleged in many cases. Despite facing embarrassing situations arising from serious allegations made by the aggrieved sections who have dragged the CM and his family members to court seeking justice, there is no sign of either remorse or repentance on the part of CM B.S. Yediyurappa and his kith and kin.
Now the latest allegation in this series is by a qualified senior Engineer – who has suffered at the hands of relatives of CM B.S. Yediyurappa, trying to fulfill their insatiable demand for huge sums of money just to secure and remain in a prestigious public office. In the bargain, he has been left high and dry after having sold away all his fixed assets and properties to mobilize the required amounts totaling upto Rs. 9.75 Crore to satisfy the greed of CM’s close relatives.
A local TV Channel vividly brings out the plight of Dr. M. Sudheendra Rao, Ex-Chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), through a video interview, in which Dr. Rao himself gives a first-person narrative of his agonizing experience at the hands of CM’s close aides-cum-relatives who have squeezed him out of all his lifetime earnings and assets.
As per Dr. M. Sudheendra Rao’s confession –
• He is appointed as Chairman KSPCB on 30th December 2019, by Karnataka BJP Government headed by B.S. Yediyurappa. This post was granted to him on a promise that he would make a payment of Rs. 16 Crore – a deal conveyed through and monitored by one Shri Mariswamy, President, Zilla Panchayat, Bangalore Urban District and a close relative of CM. After assuming office vide the appointment order dated 30.12.2019, he is put under tremendous pressure by the said Mariswamy to arrange for immediate payment of the promised amount of Rs. 16 Crore
• During the period between 11th January 2020 and 22nd February 2020, he manages to mobilize varying sums of money totaling upto Rs. 6.22 crore by selling off residential flats owned by his family members as well as gold and silver jewelries belonging to his wife and daughters. Having failed to meet the immediate target of Rs.10 crore fixed by Mariswamy, he further raises a loan of Rs.2.00 Crore from HDFC Bank by pledging share documents of one of his daughters
• A total of Rs. 9.75 Crore cash is handed over by him to CM’s relative Mariswamy in varying sums on different dates within a span of one and half month in January-February 2020. Mariswamy acknowledges the receipt of the cash payments by scribbling down the particulars of payments in a white paper slip in his own handwriting
• While these payments are made in instalments, Mariswamy introduces him to the trio of B.S. Yediyurappa clan-younger son of CM B.Y. Vijayendra, grandson Shashidhar Maradi and a close cousin Sanjay Shree, who in turn start placing fresh demands by insisting upon clearance of about 60 government files pertaining to requests for Consent Certificate (NOC) from KSPCB for several private limited companies running manufacturing-cum-processing industries within and away from Bangalore
As narrated by Dr. Sudheendra Rao, in his own words, expressed in vernacular Kannada, each of these files from private companies had a “price-tag” on it, as determined and demanded by CM’s family members as well as middleman Mariswamy. Dr. Rao goes on record to say that by obtaining his signatures on these files, the CM’s family members have collected not less than Rs.60 crores as bribes from the concerned parties. The CM’s relatives are referred to in these conversations by their nicknames as “Viji”, “Shashi”, “Sanjay”
As told by Dr. Rao, in 2 such instances, the CM himself takes special interest for clearing of files belonging to two companies so much so that he personally calls up Chairman Dr. Sudheendra Rao over phone while he is on an official trip to foreign countries. He calls him up from Davos as well as from Mauritius Islands, pleading him to clear the files by the time he returns to Bangalore. Indeed, as soon as he lands at Bangalore International Airport, CM promptly calls up Sudheendra Rao to confirm whether he has cleared those “important” files. When Rao replies that he has done his job as per Hon’ble CM’s directions, B.S. Yediyurappa expresses his happiness and invites him to come over to his residence the next morning for breakfast along with the “processed” files.
Finally, as admitted by Dr. Sudheendra Rao in a TV interview, that it becomes difficult to give clearance to certain private companies condoning their gross violations of pollution control norms, he pleads his helplessness before the CM’s relatives. They, in turn, begin to threaten him with dire consequences including immediate removal from the post itself although he has completed only 3 months of his stipulated 3-year tenure of the statutory body.
As per Dr. Rao, when things come to a flashpoint, the CM’s family begins the operation for removal of Dr. Sudheendra Rao by putting psychological pressure and even issuing oral threats. When he refuses to oblige, they manage to obtain his signature on a green sheet of paper ostensibly for submitting an affidavit before Court in an official matter. Later when he is on a pilgrimage trip to Mantralayam in Andhra Pradesh along with his family, some “miscreants” type out the resignation letter on the signed green sheet of paper obtained from Dr. Sudheendra Rao and submit it to B.S. Yediyurappa’s office, who in turn accepts the “resignation” with immediate effect. Thus, an official notification is issued by Karnataka Government that the “resignation” of Dr. Sudheendra Rao has been accepted and he has been relieved from the post of Chairman KSPCB w.e.f. 2nd May 2020.
Dr. Sudheendra Rao has thus been removed from the post he had so managed to hold on to painstakingly and has also been deprived of all his personal wealth, property and savings from lifetime earnings by the wily ways of CM B.S. Yediyurappa’s family members.
Dr. Sudheendra Rao repeatedly mentions the name of a Government official-Gururaj Joshi and accuses him of being the master manipulator who has acted at the behest of CM’s relative Mariswamy, Son B.Y. Vijayendra, grandson Shashidhar Maradi and grandnephew Sanjayshree.
After having lost everything – position, prestige, honour and wealth – when Rao’s wife, daughters and son, approached Mariswamy for return of the huge amount of Rs. 9.75 crore, he allegedly abused them and drove them away. Even Dr. Sudheendra Rao himself met CM’s influential son B.Y. Vijayendra for relief, he offered him alternative government posts – Chairperson of either BWSSB or MSIL. Here again, an additional demand of Rs.5 crore is made for giving the new post too. Dr. Sudheendra Rao pleads his inability to fulfill their new demand and then determines to place his entire plight in public domain through electronic and print media.
When India was fighting COVID-19, the Karnataka CM was allegedly more interested in such acts of extortion through his relatives. If these allegations are true, the people of Karnataka have been cheated on two counts: abetting black money circulation by a person holding the chair of CM and weakening the fight against COVID-19 by focusing on matters of brazen corruption when the focus should have been to save lives and provide relief to the people of Karnataka.
Congress put three demands in this entire matter
Mr. B.S. Yediyurappa has no moral right to remain the Chief Minister after allegations of such serious nature and of direct involvement. Karnataka Chief Minister Mr. B. S. Yediyurappa should resign immediately from the post of CM.
An independent judicial probe under the supervision of Honorable Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court to uncover the entire matter and send the culprits behind bars.
We urge central agencies like CBI, ED and IT authorities to carry out an exhaustive investigation and uncover the truth.