Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde withdraws resignation

New Delhi: After several refusals, Karnataka's Lokayukta, Justice Santosh Hegde, has agreed to return to his post. Hegde took back his resignation after Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and BJP president Nitin Gadkari personally requested him to come back.

Home minister P Chidambaram too had called and asked him to reconsider his decision. The deciding factor though was a phone call from L K Advani.

"Chidambaram is like my younger brother, Advaniji is like my father. All of us respect him and so his word had to finally prevail," Hegde said.

A fearless official who doesn't think twice about fighting corruption, Hegde had resigned last month - frustrated at the Karnataka government's failure to curb illegal mining which was making it difficult for him to function.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/karnataka-lokayukta-santosh-hegde-withdraws-resignation-35364?cp

The state government's unwillingness to take action against the mining mafia was also a key factor.

Today, the 70-year-old judge said that Karnataka government has assured him that illegal mining will be stopped.

Justice Hegde's resignation had evoked largescale protests within the state, and the BJP drew flak from all over the country.

While Justice Hegde's coming back is great news for the people of Karnataka, it has taken the sting out of the Congress' campaign which had attacked the ruling party over this, consistently in the Assembly.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/karnataka-lokayukta-santosh-hegde-withdraws-resignation-35364?cp