Bengaluru, Dec. 3: The IT, BT, and Bangalore water supply minister, Mr Katta Subramanya Naidu, who was on Thursday chargesheeted by the Lokayukta police in connection with a Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board land scam, resigned from the Cabinet. But not until a heated and often acrimonious debate on Thursday night when the minister pleaded his innocence and the party chief said he must go.
Mr Naidu who met the Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, in the presence of the party state president, Mr K.S. Eshwarappa, reportedly insisted that he was not involved.
Sources close to the meeting said that while Mr Yeddyurappa maintained a stoic silence, Mr Eshwarappa insisted that Mr Naidu should resign at once.
Mr Eshwarappa said the party would be unable to defend the government unless Mr Naidu put in his papers, sources said adding that the pressure from the party finally forced Mr Naidu to hand over his resignation letter late on Thursday night.
Sources in the party said that since Mr Naidu does not belong to any dominant community — read, Lingayat or Vokkaliga — nor does he enjoy the support of several MLAs, it became easy for the party to get him to resign. The exit of Mr Naidu posed no threat to the survival of the government, making it easier to ensure his exit smoothly, sources explained.
Mr Naidu dismissed the allegations made against him as “baseless” and said he resigned on moral grounds. Mr Naidu said he did not want to embarrass the government and his party after an FIR was filed against him.
“I have done no wrong. I have faith in judiciary. I will get justice,” Naidu said, hours after Mr Yeddyurappa made a brief announcement about his exit and forwarded the resignation letter to the Governor.