"I am told the BJP high command also took the same view that I should resign as the SPP. However, I was not prepared to do that as that post is assigned to me by the chief justice of the Karnataka high court. In that case they wanted me to resign from the post of Advocate General, which I have done", Acharya told PTI, a day after he stepped down as AG.
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Acharya's remarks are in conflict with the position of Gowda who asserted that government did not pressure him to resign as the SPP.
"There is a PIL in court challenging Acharya holding two posts. The government did not want to face any embarrassment on the issue. So I asked him to choose to continue in one of the posts," Gowda told PTI.
The chief minister said Acharya told him that since he has already worked earlier as the advocate general, he preferred to continue as the SPP and he consented to it.
Acharya's claims come as further embarrassment to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is now wrestling with the fallout of the porn scandal that led to exit of three ministers after they were caught on camera viewing obscene clippings on mobile phone during assembly proceedings.
"For sometime there was pressure from so many quarters that I resign as the SPP. So after I resumed office of the advocate general six months ago, they started raising the ground that I should not hold two posts. A petition has been filed before the governor and the public interest litigation filed before the high court that I should resign as the SPP and should not hold both the posts," Acharya said.
Acharya said he was "very sorry" that attempts were made from "so many quarters" that he resign from the post of the SPP and the "false criminal complaint which has been filed before the Lokayukta court is one such attempt".