Special assembly session November to discuss scams: Yeddyurappa

BANGALORE - A three-day special session of the Karnataka legislature will be held in the first week of November to discuss all issues, including a series of scams that have been rocking the state over the past 10 years, Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa said Sunday.

“I am requesting the legislative assembly speaker to convene a three-day special session of the house in the first week of November for a detailed discussion on various scandals, which are said to have happened in the past 10 years,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

The scandals range from illegal mining to land acquisitions and corruption in the administration that the opposition parties have been accusing the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of indulging since it assumed office in May 2008 in the state.

“We will also ask the opposition leaders to give valuable suggestions on development issues and various welfare schemes under implementation across the state for the benefit of the people,” Yeddyurappa said.

Objecting to the opposition Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leaders airing in public the alleged scams during his government’s tenure over the last two years, the chief minister said it was unfortunate that such issues were being raised in the streets every other day instead of discussing them in the legislature.

“It is not good that issues of serious nature should be dealt in the streets. The Congress took out a rally (padayatra) from Bangalore to Bellary in July-August to highlight the issue of illegal mining though it was happened during its government earlier,” Yeddyurappa said.

Asserting that it was his duty to tell the people of the state about the transparency in his government, Yeddyurappa said even though the JD-S leaders had complained to the Ombudsman (Lokayukta), state governor and even the President against his functioning style, he had nothing to hide and was willing to discuss every issue on the floor of the house.

“The people and officials should join in our efforts to highlight the welfare measures, programmes and schemes we have initiated for serving the people and become a model state in the country for others to emulate,” he said.

The state government plans to invite former prime minister and JD-S president H.D. Deve Gowda, prominent political leaders, intellectuals and religious heads to participate in the special session and give their suggestions on improving governance in the state.

“The session will be telecast live so that the people of the state can see how all of us conduct in the house and our response to every allegation being made against government, ministers and the ruling party,” Yeddyurappa said.

Appealing to the opposition parties not to disrupt the proceedings, resort to sit-in demos or staging walk-outs during the special session, the chief minister said their leaders should actively participate in the proceedings and discuss the issues seriously.

“Our government will stand by the discussions and decisions taken during the session,” Yeddyurappa added.

On the opposition demand for an inquiry into the de-notification of lands in Bangalore for allotment to his two sons - Vijayendra and Raghavendra, who represents the Shimoga parliamentary segment, the chief minister said he was open to such an inquiry after the special session where the issue would be listed for detailed discussion.