From the Editors desk
Dear readers,
The week that ran by offered us something heartening…a top Minister from Karnataka resigned from the Cabinet on moral grounds when he was accused of providing false information to procure a site in the State. He was later absolved of the charge and has re-occupied his seat of power.
This gesture by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Karnataka, Mr Suresh Kumar, is a bit unprecedented by modern day political standards. It also offers a ray of hope in the midst of the despicable scams we find our elected representatives getting embroiled in on a regular basis.
The Minister resigned on June 23 when a media report (based on an application by an RTI activist) charged him of obtaining a Bangalore Development Authority site under the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota. The charge against him was that he allegedly withheld information in his affidavit that his family owned sites and houses in the City. The Attorney General cleared him of the charges within four days.
Though not found guilty of any charge, Mr Suresh Kumar has also surrendered the site that landed him in controversy in Ram Vilas Extension, Second Stage, valued at Rs 2.8 crore now.
By contrast, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Industries, Mr Virbhadra Singh, who was forced to resign in connection with a 23-year-old corruption case, was reluctant to let go of his post. Mr Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh were charged of awarding contracts to industrial houses to set shop for monetary gains when the former was the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Despite sufficient evidence proving his guilt, he claimed to be innocent of all charges.
With both incidents almost taking place simultaneously, the step by Mr Suresh Kumar clearly stood out. He has clearly raised the bar for politicians in the State. With many Cabinet Ministers accused of various acts of impropriety, the Minister has clearly highlighted the need for probity in public life.
We hope this sets in a similar trend among politicians in the State atleast, if not throughout the country.