BSY acquitted for want of evidence, he is not innocent:?Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Oct 28: The state Congress leaders on Thursday launched a scathing attack on state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa in the wake of his getting a clean chit from the court in a corruption case, saying that “he will lose in people's court.”

“The whole country knows about his (Yeddyurappa) involvement in corruption cases and that he went to jail. He might have escaped the clutches of law. But he will definitely lose in people's court,” Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara said, addressing the party workers at “Surajya Samavesha and Sarthaka Sambhrama” organised at Palace Grounds to felicitate him on completing six years as the state Congress president.

He said Yeddyurappa was involved in scams related to lands and mining and, wondered how the special CBI court acquitted the BJP leader and other accused.

“Everybody involved in the case was acquitted. What does it mean? If Prerana Trust (run by Yeddyurappa's family) has not received money, I want to know how Rs 40 crore was deposited into the Trust's bank account,” he asked.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused Yeddyurappa of taking kickbacks through cheques and said documents are available to prove the charges. “He (Yeddyurappa) was acquitted for want of corroborative evidence. But, it doesn't mean that he is innocent. In some cases of murder, courts acquit the accused due to lack of evidence. But, it does not mean that the accused has not committed the crime. Similar is the case with Yeddyurappa,” Siddaramaiah remarked and said that people will never forgive the BJP?leader for indulging in corruption.

Siddaramaiah patted his own back and claimed that he has provided corruption-free administration in the last three-and-a-half years. Vested interests had been making minor allegations against the government for political gains. But, not a single case of corruption was proved against it. The Congress will return to power in the next Assembly elections, which he said are likely to be held in April-May, 2018.

Siddaramaiah also took a dig at the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, saying that it has failed on all fronts. The state BJP leaders are saying that they will go to polls projecting achievements of the Modi government. But, the Modi government's achievements are zero, he said. He also accused the Centre of not releasing money to the state for implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the party should start chalking out strategy for the 2018 Assembly polls. The BJP has already started the campaign. Its leaders are planning to launch publicity blitz on the lines of what Modi did during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Kharge said and advised the partymen to show unity and not to air their differences in public.