Cong, JD(S) up the ante aginst BJP government
The first BJP government in Karnataka is being made to run for cover against the growing number of allegations of the direct involvement of chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in a bribery scam. This development comes close on the heels of the week-long revelations from JD(S) about alleged misdealings in allocating prime land to the kith and kin of the CM.
The JD(S) leaders on Monday came out in full force and made fresh charges accusing the CM of denotifying some land here in violation of court rulings and levelled bribery charges against him.
In a press conference on Monday, former chief minister and state JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy alleged that Yeddyurappa had denotified over five acres acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for a layout at Nagarbhavi here in violation of Supreme Court and High Court orders and over-ruling objections of officials. The Congress and JD(S) have been accusing Yeddyurappa of denotifying land parcels aimed at benefitting his family members, a charge rejected by the chief minister.
JD(S) leader and former law minister M C Nanaiah saw the chief minister’s action as a case of “total bribery and kickback”. Given the market value of Rs 3,000-4,000 per square feet in Nagarbhavi, the value of the denotified land was as high as Rs 250 crore, Nanaiah claimed adding, it’s well-known that those who get the land notified normally pay a bribe of around 50 per cent. It is an absolute misuse of power, he charged, adding the JD(S) was looking into the matter from a legal angle.
Kumaraswamy, who is also a Lok Sabha member, accused Yeddyurappa of throwing to winds the court rulings and officials’ objections in notifying this land. He said, he would hand over documents relating to the case to the Lok Ayukta, seeking a probe.
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Kumaraswamy also said that he would make details of the notified land made during his tenure as Chief Minister public soon on his own volition. With the opposition parties demanding the dismissal of the BJP government over the land denotification issue, Yeddyurappa had yesterday announced a special three-day state legislature session next month to discuss the alleged scams that took place during the last 10 years.
This news by JD(S) comes a day after the Congress party sought dismissal of the state government, charging chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and minister Katta Subramanya Naidu with direct involvement in alleged land scams.
A delegation of Congress leaders, led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R V Deshpande, leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and KPCC working president D K Shivakumar, met the Governor and pressed for the sacking of the Yeddyurappa government.
“We have submitted a 103-page memorandum to the governor and also many documents,” Siddaramaiah told reporters. “It is a clear case of nepotism, favouritism and misuse of power.
We have requested the governor to dismiss the government.” The Congress has accused Yeddyurappa of denotifying certain land for the benefit of his family members, while Naidu, the Minister for information technology, bio-technology and housing faced allegations of irregularities in payment of compensation for lands acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) when he was the industries minister during the JD(S)-BJP coalition government. Naidu’s son Katta Jagadish, a city councillor, was arrested last week for allegedly bribing a witness connected to the investigation by the Lokayukta into the alleged KIADB compensation scam, and is presently behind bars.
“It’s a shameless government. It does not have a moral authority to continue in office for even a second,” Siddaramaiah said. He claimed that the governor had promised the delegation that he had taken the issue “seriously” and would act as per constitutional provisions.
“We have told the governor that the chief minister is involved; a minister (Naidu) is involved,” Siddaramaiah said, adding, Yeddyurappa cannot shirk responsibility for the alleged irregularities committed by Naidu, his son’s action. He said the chief minister and the Cabinet have a “joint responsibility”.