Keep Puttaraju away from Cabinet, says activist

Team Udayavani, May 23, 2018, 2:47 PM IST

Mandya: RTI activist K.R. Raveendra has threatened to launch a legal battle against Chief Minister designate H.D. Kumaraswamy, if MLA C.S. Puttaraju is inducted into the State Cabinet. In a letter to Kumaraswamy, Raveendra said that the CM had to keep away Cabinet legislators who are facing criminal charges.

Raveendra has filed many cases against political leaders and he described Puttaraju as a “tainted MLA”. JD(S) member Puttaraju is charged with cases of cheating and criminal conspiracy. There are other cases filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Mandya West Police and the Pandavapura police. All the cases are pending in different courts.

Puttaraju has always been in the news for all the wrong reasons. He had allegedly threatened an assistant executive engineer of Chamundehswari Electricity Supply Corporation that he would tie him to an electric pole if he did not carry out his duties properly. A few months ago, he had issued warnings to a geologist in foul language for taking action against illegal stone quarrying. This incident had taken place in the presence of Deputy Commissioner N. Manjushri and other officials.

Former Deputy Conservator of Forests of Mandya, S. Dhananjay, had filed a petition a few months ago alleging that Puttaraju had prevented forest officials from discgarging their duties in an illegal stone quarrying unit near Pandavapura. Raveeendra also alleged that Puttaraju had been involved in illegal stone quarrying in and around the deemed forest area of Baby Hills for several years. He has submitted the documents pertaining to the cases and the alleged illegalities to Kumaraswamy and has sought that Puttaraju be prevented from taking any responsibility in the Cabinet.