“I was told to join the BJP after my retirement, but I chose to join the AAP,” Bhaskar Rao, former IPS officer and Karnataka AAP vice-president, claimed in Bagalkot on August 23.
He told journalists that some BJP leaders had asked him to join their party, assuring him that ‘there would be no problems after that’. “However, I joined the AAP as I liked its functioning.”
He added, “The BJP government in Karnataka has not accepted my resignation even one year after I submitted an application for voluntary retirement. I suspect that they have not accepted the resignation as that would mean I remain a government employee. If I become actively involved in AAP activities, they can fix me in some case, and prevent me from working in the opposition.”
He claimed that several officers were planning to quit and join politics. “If we reveal their names, the government could create trouble for them,” he said. “The government is corrupt. People in power are demanding 40-50% commission. That is why officers with self-respect are willing to resign. They can not continue serving in such a corrupt system,” he said.
