Guilty will be punished, Karnataka CM after BJP MLA’s son caught taking bribe

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the "We will not protect any one and guilty will not be spared."

Bengaluru: A day after a BJP MLA’s son was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 40 lakh as bribe, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that the guilty will not be spared.

“We will not protect any one,” he added.

Speaking to reporters, the chief minister also asserted that the Lokayukta will probe all the cases lodged during Congress‘s tenure in the state. “We have reinstalled the Lokayukta office with the sole purpose of preventing corruption,” he said.

“Let the Lokayukta sleuths investigate the matter without bias. Congress MLAs also faced many allegations during its tenure, but all the cases were hushed up. All those cases would now be investigated,” CM Bommai stated.

Before, as the Lokayukta institution was shut, the cases against Congress leaders were closed without any probe, he said.

Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chief Accountant and BJP MLA’s son Prashanth was caught red-handed by the Lokayukta while accepting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh on Thursday.

The development is being seen as a serious setback to the ruling BJP. The incident has come to light at a time when opposition is launching attacks of 40 per cent commission and kickbacks in government tenders.

The ruling BJP is also concerned about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to state on Friday.