The Lok Sabha secretariat has turned down a request from a private individual seeking sanction for prosecution against former PM H D Deve Gowda’s son Kumaraswamy and Congress MP Dharam Singh for alleged illegal mining. But the refusal could only complicate matters for the MPs. For, Parliament has argued that the allegations pertain to the period when the two leaders were members of the assembly.
The clarification, steering clear of any comment on the merits of the allegations, may open the doors for T J Abraham, the complainant, to approach the assembly speaker for the nod, a fraught possibility since the ruling BJP is eager to blunt the opposition campaign over illegal mining. BJP had to sack Yeddyurappa as CM after his indictment by the Lokayukta following which the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe.
Corruption threatens to dominate the next assembly campaign, with old allies Congress and JD(S) looking to put BJP on the defensive. But a nod to file corruption case against the two former CMs from the opposition could turn it into an all-out war among rivals.
Serious trouble by way of sanction for prosecution could be on way for Kumaraswamy, with Karnataka Lokayukta establishing his role in de-notification of over three acres to benefit two persons of Rs 2.56 crore at the cost of the state exchequer.