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Drugs scam: BJP demands judicial probe

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore March 27. The pre-lunch session of the Legislative Assembly today witnessed a dharna by the main Opposition party, the BJP, which indulged in slogan-shouting after the Government rejected its demand for a judicial inquiry to expose those behind the Rs. 300-crore scam in the Drugs Control Department, in which the names of two ministers figured during a Lokayukta raid yesterday.

With his repeated plea to members to return their seats going in vain, the Speaker, M.V. Venkatappa, adjourned the House for lunch, after declining permission for an adjournment motion which was sought to be moved by the Leader of the Opposition, Jagadish Shettar.

The BJP members withdrew the dharna when the House met later, on an assurance from the Minister for Health, Kagodu Thimmappa, that the Government had an open mind on the issue. He relaxed his earlier stand against a judicial inquiry in view of the inquiry by the Lokayukta and the proposed department inquiry.

`No axe to grind'

In a personal explanation, the Minister for Medical Education, A.N. Maalakaraddy, whose name figured in the media reports on the raid, but who received compliments from the Opposition for his integrity, made it clear that he had no axe to grind.

Dr. Maalakaraddy, who has worked as a professor and a physician, said his needs were few, indicating that there was no basis to drag his name into the controversy. He was unwilling to say anything about the Lokayukta, and clarified that he had asked officials to prepare a reply as to what had appeared in media reports, which he would place before the House.

Mr. Thimmappa said there was no need for a judicial inquiry at this stage as the Lokayukta was looking into the matter. Action would be taken on the recommendations from the authority. The Commissioner for Health would be asked to inquire the matter. Their reports would be obtained early to get at the truth, he said.

The BJP members, who were not satisfied with the response, walked into the well of the House. Mr. Shettar insisted on a judicial inquiry.The BJP members defied the repeated appeals by the Chair to return to their seats, and this forced the Speaker to announce the adjournment of the House and declare that he had declined consent for the motion sought to be raised.

In his preliminary submission, Mr. Shettar said H. Sudarshan, Director (Vigilance), had named two ministers, Dr. Maalakaraddy and Mr. Thimmappa. The correctness and the background of the statement based on that of the staff of the department should be verified, he added.

This was possible only through a judicial inquiry. Not only the two ministers, but the Chief Minister should resign owning joint responsibility till the judicial inquiry was over, Mr. Shettar said.

Plea to withdraw drugs

The JD(U) Floor Leader, P.G.R. Sindhia, asked the Government to seek an interim report from the Lokayukta on the purchase of spurious drugs, and order the immediate withdrawal of spurious drugs supplied to hospitals and primary health centres.

A report should also be obtained from the Lokayukta in connection with the statements of officials on their passing on money to ministers and a former minister, as this cast aspersions on the latter. However, he made it clear that he was not demanding the resignation of the two ministers.

While the JD(S) member, C. Chennigappa, demanded action against the guilty, A. Ramdas (BJP) said there would have been no scam had the Government taken action on a report on a similar matter inquired into by the Estimates Committee, which was submitted in March 1994.

C. Byre Gowda (JD-U) wanted an inquiry into the background of the allegation against Dr. Maalakaraddy, as he felt that the officials must have made it to cover up their own acts of corruption. At one stage, Mr. Shettar wondered if the name of Dr. Maalakaraddy had been mentioned to trap him, as he had clashed with the Lokayukta in the past.

Even as Mr. Shettar was raising the issue in the morning, S.S. Patil (JD-U) pointed to the empty Treasury benches, and wondered whom he and other members should address. The reason for the thin attendance in the House, the Chair said, was the rally of the ruling party, and the members would arrive in half an hour. Mr. Byre Gowda and B.N. Bachche Gowda (JD-U) demanded an adjournment of the House till the Congress members reached the House. The JD(U) members staged a walkout in protest.

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