From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 28: With Opposition BJP trying to corner the Congress government by continuing its dharna in the well of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly over the alleged irregularities in the denotification of lands in the Bangalore Development Authority limits, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday ordered a judicial probe by a retired judge of the High Court of Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah said the judicial probe would go into alleged denotification of lands acquired for formation of the Arkavathi Layout in Bangalore by the BDA.
It may be recalled that the chief minister had offered to order either a probe into the entire denotification issue by the CID or even refer the matter for a probe by a legislature panel. But the BJP members had insisted on a CBI probe.
The probe would be conducted from the day of issuing of apreliminary notification in 2003 for 3839 acres till the revised modification scheme was submitted to the High Court of Karnataka, he said.
As the BJP members led by former chief minister and opposition leader in the House Jagadish Shettar trooped into the well of the House and continued their dharna launched since Friday even as other party members shouted slogans against the government demanding a CBI probe.
The Legislative Assembly witnessed uproariousscenes for the third day on Monday when the State government refused to yield to the BJP demand for a CBI probe into the alleged 541 acre land de-notification scam in the BDA by the by the Siddaramaiah regime to ''mobilise funds for the Lok Sabha polls.”
The Congress Government has denotified 541 acres acquired for formation of the Arkavathi Layout in the City by violating six guidelines issued by the High Court of Karnataka, alleged Jagadish Shettar. He also repeated the charge at a press conference addressed by him later.
BJP members continued their dharna alleging involvement of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in land de-notification scam.
As soon as the House met, BJP memberstrooped into the well urging the Government to order the CBI probe into land denotification scheme.
The ruling party, however, got approvals for the Financial bills in the House amidst dharna by the BJP members.
Siddaramaiah lashed out at BJP members and said 541acres of BDA lands was denotiifed by the previous BJP government on February 12, 2013 when Shettar himself was the Chief Minister.
Though the Congress demanded CBI probes into 20 different scams during the BJP government’s term, the chief minister said all demands were rejected.
''Now the BJP is demanding CBI probe just because the NDA Government led by the BJP is ruling at the Centre,” Siddaramaiah said.