Mysuru, Jul 13: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that the State government was ready to hand over the probe into allegations of corruption at the Lokayukta office if the Lokayukta insisted for it.
Speaking to reporters on his arrival at Mysore Airport here on Sunday, Siddaramaiah said that the government had no qualms about referring the case to the CBI, if the Lokayukta gives instruction to that effect.
“There was a specific instruction from the Lokayukta office to the government to form SIT (special investigation team)?and hand over the case to it. The government abided by the order,” the chief minister said. He reiterated that the government had no powers to remove Lokayukta from office.
When the media persons sought to know about All India Congress Committee (AICC)?Vice-president Rahul?Gandhi’s visit to the State in the wake of rise in farmers suicides, the chief minister shot back at the media asking “How do you know (about it) when we do not know” He said that the visit was undecided yet.
The chief minister will call on the next of the kin of the farmers who ended their lives in the recent days. “I may not be able to visit all the houses, but will visit them,” he said.
He said that the fall in prices of agricultural produces was not the only reason driving farmers to commit suicide and there were several other reasons such as debts among others. “However, what has perplexed the government is why such incidents recur during the months of June and?July”.
A vision group headed by agriculture expert M?S?Swaminathan is being constituted to study into the farmers woes. Agriculture Price Commission has already been formed while the government has also been disbursing loans at the low rate of interest. It has launched ‘Krishi Bhagya’ for their benefit. He denied that the failure on the part of farmers to reap the benefits of ‘Anna Bhagya’ was also one of the reasons for them to end lives.
The chief minister later felicitated veteran writer and former vice-chancellor of University of Mysore, D?Javare Gowda (popularly known as De Ja Gow) at his 100th birthday function. Describing De Ja Gow as “Kannadada Kattalu” (stalwart of Kannada), the chief minister said that the writer had contributed a lot for the betterment of Kannada. In his address, De Ja Gow said, “I follow the philosophy that if a person is not active, he can as well leave the place.”
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