Mysuru: The Mysuru district (rural and city) units of the BJP staged a massive protest, against the multi-crore scam in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and tried to lay a seige to the MUDA office in Mysuru on Thursday. They demanded the resignation of Urban Development Minister Bhyrathi Suresh, arrest of the accused officials and a CBI inquiry into the scam, to bring out the truth.
However, their bid was foiled by the police, as the agitators were taken into custody mid-way, before M N Jois Circle. The protest march of the BJP, organised by the rural and city units of the Yuva Morcha, started at the BJP office – Sachin Rajendra Bhavana – in Chamarajapuram. It was supposed to reach MUDA office on Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Road via Ramaswamy Circle and M N Jois Circle. The agitators were released later.
The BJP members are protesting against the alleged distribution of MUDA sites on alternative developed areas on a 50:50 basis, illegally. This has been done in cases where compensation has not been paid to the land owners, in the areas where the land is not completely acquired. It is alleged that this has caused thousands of crore financial loss to both MUDA and the government.
Addressing the agitators, former mayor K Shivakumar said, “The Congress-led Karnataka government, especially Minister Bhyrathi Suresh, is trying to safeguard the accused officials, who are responsible for a Rs 4,000-crore scam.”
“On Monday, the minister held a meeting in Mysuru and transferred MUDA commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar, secretary Shekar and an assistant executive engineer. Is it such a big punishment? Is it not the procedure, to keep the suspected officials under suspension and then conduct an inquiry?” he asked.
“The minister seems to be protecting the officials and trying to close the scam. Thus, we have no guarantee of justice from them. The case should be handed over to the CBI,” Shivakumar demanded.
“Over the past one year of the Congress government, in Karnataka, there have been several scams. Before the Assembly election, the Congress promised to form a pro-people government. But, its government has become corrupt and is looting public money. Price of essential items like petrol, diesel and milk has been hiked, financially burdening the people,” he said.
City Yuva Morcha president Rakesh Gowda, rural president Samrat, general secretaries Sachin, D Lohit, Madhuraj, vice-presidents Vedaraj, T Ramesh, Rudramurthy, Jogi Manju, Manu Appi, Umesh, Darshan Yaduraj, Keerthesh, city BJP general secretary B M Raghu, former corporators B V Manjunath, Subbaiah, Ravindra, Sharadamma, Sowmya Umesh, block presidents Nishanth, Arjun, Mohan, Naveen, Madhu and state Yuva Morcha convenor Pranay were present.