Karnataka - Bangalore

BJP resorting to politics of vendetta: Revanna

H.D. Revanna

BANGALORE: Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Minister H.D. Revanna on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party Government of resorting to “politics of vendetta” by cancelling the sanction of government degree colleges in 13 places in constituencies of Opposition legislators.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Revanna alleged that the cancellation of colleges, effected on December 16, had amounted to violation of model code of conduct that had been clamped in the wake of byelections to eight Assembly constituencies.

The sanctioned new colleges which have been cancelled are in Tyamagondlu, Hebbur, Banavara, Dandina Shivara, Kyatanahalli, Halebidu, Halli Mysore, Rippanpet, Mosale Hosahalli, Paduvalahippe, Bidadi and Udayapur.

These colleges were among 54 new colleges sanctioned by the state Cabinet in 2008 under the NABARD-assisted Rural Infrastructure Development Fund-13 at a cost of Rs 41.66 crore, Mr. Revanna said. However, now the Education Department Secretary had issued a notification on December 16 dropping the building construction works for 13 colleges worth around Rs 21.27 crore, he alleged and wondered how could some officials cancel the allocation made by the State Cabinet.

He urged the Election Commission to take note of the violation of model code of conduct and initiate action against the officials concerned.

Mr. Revanna warned the BJP Government of launching a protest against it if steps were not taken to set right the anomaly and remarked: “The government should know that we too have 26 MLAs.”

Mr. Revanna alleged that the BJP Government was trying to help private colleges by closing down Government colleges by citing reasons such as lack of sufficient student strength. But the poor students cannot afford to study in private colleges by paying hefty fee. This would affect the education of poor students, he noted and asked the State Government to desist from playing with the future of poor students in a bid to settle scores with political opponents.

Mr. Revanna accused the Tumkur District Deputy Commissioner and the Returning Officer of the Turuvekere Assembly constituency of acting like agents of the BJP in the recently held bypolls to the Assembly. He urged the Election Commission of India to suspend them besides filing criminal cases against them. He alleged that the returning officer of Turuvekere had told a Kannada television channel that the BJP candidate had won the bypolls, even though it was the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate who finally emerged victorious.

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