By Arunkumar Rao/Dominick Rodrigues
Bengaluru, Jan 22: While corruption and scams like the denotification scam, jantakal mining scam, redo scam, denotification scam and many others are happening in Karnataka, people are looking for an alternative political party — apart from BJP and Congress – like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for a better government on the lines of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s model in New Delhi, says AAP Rajya Sabha member and senior party leader Sanjay Singh.
Addressing a press conference here today on the AAP’s preparations for the upcoming Taluka Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat and BBMP elections in Bengaluru, Singh said the Aam Aadmi Party is the only party which is working strongly as opposition in Karnataka and has opened offices in every constituency, ward and booth level here, while holding booth-level meetings with people.
Describing Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi government as +appealing to the nation+ and also “popular as can be noted from the number of seats AAP candidates won in local body elections throughout the country,” Singh told mediapersons here today that AAP would also promote the same model of government at all taluka and district levels in the country.
Noting that the AAP Delhi government functioning — along with victory of various AAP-supported candidates in gram panchayat elections – is witnessing numerous political candidates and youth from many districts +gravitating+ towards the party, he said the party is expecting to also win in the Taluk and Zilla Panchayat elections here.
Highlighting his participation in the “India Against Corruption” movement in Karnataka in 2011-12 during the strong movement in the country for the Jan Lokpal Bill to be implemented, the AAP member of Parliament expressed pride in the functioning and efficiency of the then Lokayukta in Karnataka which was managed by Santosh Hegde. “I really believed that this kind of Lokayukta is needed in the entire country as the present situation in Karnataka is +heart wrenching,” he said.
“The Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah diluted Lokayukta and laid the foundation of all corruption witnessed in Karnataka today. Yediyurappa — who assured that he would bring back Lokayukta within 24 hours of coming into power — is instead misusing Lokayukta today to remove all the land scam and denotification charges against him,” Singh alleged, while lashing out at the opposition parties at “having forgotten their responsibilities and remaining silent even as Chief Minister Yediyurappa is misusing Lokayukta.”
“Even during the corona pandemic time, the state BJP government has been hindering the general public by raising all prices including electricity and property taxes. The state BJP government is postponing the BBMP election and is indulged in dividing the wards according to their convenience and looting citizens of Bengaluru,” he said, adding “The JDS party, which has supported anti-farmer laws, including 79A and B in the assembly, should be ashamed to claim themselves as a pro-farmer party.”
Quoting a High Court verdict dated December 22nd and 27th which directed that B S Yediyurappa should face an investigation in the Devarabisanahalli and Bellandur denotification cases, Singh said +It is shameful that Yediyurappa misused his powers and got a B report filed from the Lokayukta. The opposition is also quiet as Yediyurappa has been helping them in various cases like Kumarswamy’s Mattadahalli denotification scam, jantakal mining scam, Siddaramaiah’s redo scam, D K Shivakumar’s Beniganahalli denotification scam and many more. As a result, the BJP is only in power in Karnataka, while the JDS and the Congress are allies in the state government-run scam, money laundering and treason.”
