By IANS,
Bangalore: The Election Commission of India Monday sent notices to the Reddy brothers, the mining barons and Karnataka ministers, seeking their explanation on a petition seeking their disqualification as legislators.
The notice followed Governor H.R. Bhardwaj referring to it the petition of Congress legislator K.C. Kondaih who has sought their removal as legislators on the ground that they had amassed wealth by illegal mining and there was conflict of interest in their continuing to be legislators and ministers.
Along Reddy brothers, Tourism Minister G. Janaradhana and his elder brother and Revenue Minister G. Karunakara, notice was also served on business associate and Health Minister B. Sriramulu as his disqualification has also been sought by Kondaiah.
Janardhana Reddy is member of the legislative council while Karunakara Reddy and Sriramlu are assembly members.
“It is a not a notice but only a letter from the Election Commission seeking our view on the letter governor has written to it,” Janardhana Reddy told reporters.
“We are consulting our lawyers and will send the reply,” he said.
Bhardwaj referred Kondaiah’s petition to the commission June 3 after the Reddy brothers and Sriramulu ignored his summons twice and sent their lawyers to question the governor’s right to act on the petition.
In related development, state Bharatiya Janata Party president K.S. Eshwarappa told reporters that Election Commission serving notice on Reddy brothers was not an embarrassment to the party.
“They will reply to it. It is not an embarrassment to the party,” he asserted when asked whether the BJP image has taken a beating by the notice to its ministers coming just five days after Lok Ayukta (ombudsman) resigning frustrated at government’s indifference to fighting corruption and protecting honest officers exposing illegal mining in the state.