Date:15/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/15/stories/2004071509960400.htm

Karnataka

Azad, Kharge should resign, says BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JULY 14. The Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded the resignation of the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the State Water Resources Minister, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, and the arrest of senior police officer Srikumar who headed the now disbanded Stamp Paper Investigation Team (STAMPIT) on the ground that they allegedly destroyed important documents related to the stamp paper racket.

Leaders and workers of the BJP staged a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi here today demanding a judicial inquiry into charges levelled against the previous Government by the former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sangram Singh. R. Ashok and Katta Subramanya Naidu, BJP MLAs, said Mr. Kharge should resign immediately in the wake of statements made by Sangram Singh before a court here. Sangram Singh and two police officers were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of links with the accused in the racket.

The BJP legislators claimed that there was truth in the statements made by Sangram Singh that a few Congress leaders, such as D.K. Shivakumar and R. Roshan Bagi, allegedly had links with the accused in the stamp paper scam. Those leaders allegedly collected "crores of rupees" from the main accused in the case, Abdul Karim Telgi, and paid Rs. 20 crore as ransom to forest brigand Veerappan through Sangram Singh to obtain the release of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar. The former Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, C. Dinakar, had mentioned in a book that ransom was paid to Veerappan for Mr. Rajkumar's release.

Mr. Naidu alleged that before the handing over the case to the CBI, the previous Congress government pressured Mr. Srikumar to destroy documents. To ensure an impartial probe by the CBI, the State Government must arrest the Congress leaders named by Sangram Singh, and the CBI should be allowed to interrogate them, Mr. Naidu demanded. The BJP would continue its protest in the Legislative Assembly during the coming Budget session and stage an agitation, Mr. Ashok said.