Karnataka CM has no moral right to continue in office: JDS

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has no moral right to continue in office after what Lok Ayukta N Santosh Hegde had to say against the state government, JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy said on Saturday.

Hegde's public outbursts are in a way "verdict" against the government by the Lok Ayukta institution, Kumaraswamy said at a meet-the-press programme, organised by the Press Club of Bangalore and Bangalore Reporters' Guild.

Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge known for his fight against corruption, announced his resignation on June 23 criticising the BJP government for reneging on its electoral promise of arming the institution with more powers after Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa remained non-committal on the issue.

On the recent global investors' meet organised by the state government that attracted investment proposals to the tune of nearly Rs four lakh crore, Kumaraswamy said Rs 2.5 lakh crore of that proposed investment was in the steel sector with private firms eyeing mining areas in and around Bellary district.

Expressing scepticism over the proposed investment actually flowing into the State, he asked: "From where will you provide water and power (to the proposed industries)? There are many problems, it's not easy."

Kumaraswamy recalled two global investors meet had been organised during S M Krishna's regime, and his (Kumaraswamy's) own goverment routinely cleared proposals envisaging tens of thousands of crores of rupees.

On the Centre hiking fuel prices, he indicated that as far as petroleum products are concerned, prices were ruled by fluctuations in the international market and the government was trying to reduce financial (subsidy) burden but maintained that his party was opposed to the move with regard to LPG and kerosene, which are used by the common man.