B. Janardhana Poojary

Bangalore: The former KPCC president B. Janardhana Poojary, MP, on Thursday demanded the resignation of the coalition Government in the State in the light of the bribery allegations being levelled against it.

He told presspersons here that the Government had no moral right to continue in office. There was "clinching evidence" to prove the alleged involvement of the Chief Minister and members of his family apart from the Minister for Forests C. Chennigappa and Home Minister M.P. Prakash in it. Rather than refuting the charges with flimsy replies, the time had come for the Government to resign. Party general secretary and MLC Prakash Rathod was present.

Mr. Poojary said the State Cabinet should resolve to bow out of office and subsequently the Chief Minister should call on Governor T.N. Chaturvedi and submit his resignation. It should be borne in mind that in the 2004 Legislative Assembly elections the electorate had not given their preference to any given political party which had resulted in the formation of coalition governments. Now that the Government was itself caught in a bribery scam levelled by an MLC belonging to one of the ruling parties, it was high time that the Chief Minister yielded to the wishes of the people. The people of the State who were stunned by the bribery allegation wanted elections to the Assembly, he said.

It was quite apparent that the Congress had stepped up its demand seeking the resignation of the Government after BJP MLC G. Janardhan Reddy reportedly released yet another CD containing pictures of the Minister for Forests along with wads of currency notes purportedly collected from mine owners in Bellary district.

Both the Chief Minister and the Minister for Forests have dismissed the revelations and have also stated that the CD was doctored.

Mr. Poojary said the narco analysis on the accused in the stamp paper case was conducted in 2003 and was now being released by some vested interests. In the mining scam, the BJP MLC had been persistently levelling the same charges and had demanded an investigation by the CBI. The Congress was also demanding a CBI probe.

The former KPCC president, who exhibited a file containing copies of the registered documents pertaining to the lands and buildings acquired by the Chief Minister's family in the recent past, said he would make them public after the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and the Chief Minister responded to the latest allegation of Mr. Reddy.

"It is quite evident that the lands purchased by some of the family members over the past few months have a direct link to the bribes paid by the owners of the mines. The Congress is also confident that the courts will step in and direct the Government on the line of investigation," he said.

He urged the Governor to send a report to the Centre on the bribery charges being made against the Government. At the same time, the Congress would also mount pressure on the Centre.

The party which attempted to raise the matter in Parliament could not do so owing to the other matters which were given priority.

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