The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Probe bypoll `irregularities': Subbaiah

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Probe bypoll `irregularities': Subbaiah

Staff Reporter

Chief Minister should resign: Subbaiah

BANGALORE: The former MLC A.K. Subbaiah has demanded an inquiry into the "misuse" of official machinery and the allegation that votes were bought by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) in the byelection to the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency.

Mr. Subbaiah told presspersons here on Tuesday that the victory of the Congress candidate and former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was a victory of the democracy. Although the two parties did not spare any effort to achieve their objectives, they had been shown their place by the voters, he said.

"This bypoll has been of the kind never seen before by the people of Karnataka. All the pressure and "bribing" by the Janata Dal (Secular) to entice voters came to naught, and their candidate lost," Mr. Subbaiah said.

Now that the Janata Dal (Secular) has lost so badly, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy was engaging in vendetta against the Muslims and Kurubas, who according to him had betrayed the Janata Dal (Secular) by voting for Siddaramaiah, Mr Subbaiah said. The Janata Dal (Secular) president and the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda should take political sansyas, he said.

Mr. Subbaiah said that the defeat suffered by the Janata Dal (Secular) was a "loss of face" to the Chief Minister, and he should resign immediately taking responsibility for the defeat. The results of the elections were a clear message from the people that they were not happy with this Government, he said. Only a judicial inquiry would bring out the truth about the malpractices, misuse of government machinery and official position by the Janata Dal (Secular)-BJP combine. A commission of inquiry be set up immediately, headded.

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