Mangaluru: Environment activist Shashidhar Shetty has submitted a petition to the Governor seeking his permission to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ministers D K Shivakumar, B Ramanath Rai and U T Khader for allegedly misusing their power for personal gain and also for using the taxpayers’ money.

“During the launch of development programmes in Bantwal on October 22, 2017, the CM and other ministers had delivered political speeches. A sum of Rs 2,65,752 was spent on the programme organised at Bantwal.

The programme included the inauguration of Mini Vidhana Soudha, hi-tech KSRTC bus stand, Inspection Bunglow and others. The expenditure incurred for their travel by air from Bengaluru to Mangaluru and other places were, however, not included in this,” he said.

The ministers likewise used the opportunity to speak ill about the Opposition parties, he alleged.

“Taxpayers money was misused for political gain,” he said. Shetty said that he had sought the Governor’s sanction under Section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure through his petition of February 27, 2018.