Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday rejected the Centre's contention that his government tried to curtail the powers of the Lokayukta by appointing a judicial commission of inquiry into allotment and denotification of lands.
In his response to an "Advisory" sent to him by the Centre, following its rejection of governor H R Bhardwaj's recommendation for imposition of President's rule, Yeddyurappa asserted that there were no attempts to curb the powers of the Lokayukta, as alleged by the Centre, officials told PTI on condition of anonymity.
"It is not an advisory under Article 355 of the Constitution. It is a demi-official letter from the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister has replied to it in his individual capacity," they said.
"The issues that were before the Lokayukta prior to the setting up of the one-man judicial commission, headed by retired High Court Judge B Padmaraj, continue to be investigated by the Lokayukta," the letter sent to the Centre today said.
"Only those which are not before the domain of the Lokayukta investigation have been referred to the inquiry commission," the reply said.
{{/usCountry}}"Only those which are not before the domain of the Lokayukta investigation have been referred to the inquiry commission," the reply said.
{{/usCountry}}The advisory in all referred to 11 issues, including maintenance of law and order, mining and corruption charges faced by the Chief Minister, officials said.