Mysuru: While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has tried to downplay the recent suicides of two senior police officers claiming that 24 policemen had committed suicide during the JDS government in the state, its party chief, H D Kumaraswamy shot back on Wednesday saying, “If any one of them committed suicide because of harassment by me, I will quit politics.”

Accusing Mr Siddaramaiah of ordering the police not to arrest his close aide, Marigowda for abusing Mysuru DC, Shikha in public recently, the jDS leader said had the government wanted , he could have been arrested in a day. Moreover, as Ms Shikha was a Dalit, the police should have booked a case of atrocity against Mr Marigowda, he contended.

Claiming he had never misinformed the media in any of the charges he had made against the government , he said even where Mr Marigowda was concerned he had not lied.

“Yes the police may have closed the cases against him , but have they been closed by the courts?” he demanded, adding, “I don’t have to be taught ethics by Siddaramaiah. He submitted a false affidavit in 2008 saying there were no cases against him. He should take responsibility for the lie and resign.”