Gowda attempts to remove anti-IT tag

Urges people to stop whispering campaign against him

The rains which had threatened to wash out the start of Bangalore IT.in 2005 held back on Wednesday morning. This gave Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) supremo H D Deve Gowda an opportunity to once again come down heavily on his detractors.

At the same time attempting to remove notions he was against development of the IT sector in Karnataka.

The leader of the state's ruling coalition partner JD(S) and former prime minister also promised global investors that the Karnataka government will do whatever is required to enable Bangalore to keep its position as the top IT destination in the country.

In a highly emotional address, Gowda, the chief guest at the annual IT event, said anyone who was carrying out a whisper campaign against him and the coalition government that they were not for development should listen to their conscience and then speak.

"Giving statements that are not facts helps no one. There were certain controversies before the start of the event. I would like to categorically state and assure investors that the coalition is for the overall economic development including IT," Gowda asserted.

Picking on the latest controversy between him and Infosys on the issue of land allotment, Gowda said: "Almost 90 per cent of the software companies in Karnataka work out of rented facilities and allotment of land to firms should be transparent and there should a logical reason in this procedure. Everything must have accountability and the Cabinet before allotting land should study the implications before taking decisions."

Stating that he was among the people instrumental in getting the 10-year tax concession for software export firms and also took the initiative in clearing the IT park in Bangalore, Gowda said: "The sheer fact I pushed through the controversial amendments in the Land Reforms Act, against stiff opposition, facilitating land acquisition for industrial purposes should speak a great deal about how much I am committed to development of the economy."

He went on to add that as farmers lose land as a result of development, the companies must ensure that they provide jobs and help them lead a decent life.

Gowda added that "There is an absolute need to create wealth and the IT industry is doing this. Poverty eradication is high on my agenda and I am sure the IT industry will continue to generate wealth for overall development of the economy."

Arguing that Bangalore has grown enough, Gowda said the government should seriously look at urging companies to look at secondary cities like Mysore, Gulbarga, Dharwad and Belgaum for development.

"Anyone trying to create a negative image of this government that we are not doing enough about infrastructure is saying this out of ignorance. I am again stressing that agriculture is the prime mover of our economy and we should never ignore that. We will not let the sector deteriorate more and just because I am advocating this does not mean I am against the growth of the IT sector," he added.