Southern States - Karnataka   

Cooperate with CBI, Yatnal tells Govt.

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIJAPUR NOV. 23. The Minister of State for Railways, Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal, has asked the State Government to cooperate with the CBI which has been being asked to probe the multi-crore stamp paper scam.

Addressing presspersons here today, Mr. Yatnal said only an agency like the CBI could investigate an inter-State scam of such magnitude.

The Minister said the role of the Inter-Services Intelligence (Pakistan's secret service) and the underworld network of Dawood Ibrahim had also been suspected.

Referring to the opposition by the Karnataka and Maharashtra governments to a CBI investigation, he said such an attitude only gave rise to doubts that they had something to hide.

In Maharashtra, the involvement of bureaucrats and politicians in the scam had come to light. It was known that the scam originated from Karnataka as the main accused, Abdul Karim Telgi, is a native of Khanapur.

Doubts about Telgi's link with high profile politicians and bureaucrats in the State were becoming strong.

The State should cooperate with the CBI for clearing all doubts and bringing the accused and the beneficiaries of the scam to book, the Minister said. Mr. Yatnal decried the "negative" opinion expressed by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, and the KPCC President, B. Janardhana Poojary, about the CBI. People in high offices should not speak that way as it would damage the credibility of government agencies. He criticised the "double standards" of the Congress on corruption.

He said the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, had dropped the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Dilip Singh Judev, soon after corruption charges were levelled against him and ordered a CBI inquiry. But the Congress had allowed the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, to continue in office even after the CBI filed a chargesheet against him in a forgery case.

On the controversy over the Datta Peetha at Bababudanagiri, he decried the "vote-bank politics" of the Congress and some other parties.

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