The Hindu : Karnataka News : Deve Gowda prefers to keep mum on BMIC verdict

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 05, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Deve Gowda prefers to keep mum on BMIC verdict

Staff Correspondent

Welcomes Government's decision to appeal to Supreme Court

HASSAN: The Janata Dal (S) President and former Prime Minster, H.D. Deve Gowda, on Wednesday refused to comment on the Karnataka High Court verdict on the BMIC project, saying he has not read the judgement.

Mr. Deve Gowda, who has launched a campaign against alleged land grabbing in and around Bangalore, told presspersons that he is not aware whether the court has taken cognisance of the memorandum submitted by him to the Governor and the former Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna. One of the petitioners, J.C. Madhuswamy, had cited the contents of his memorandum in his petition, Mr. Deve Gowda said.

Referring to the decision of the Cabinet to appeal to the Supreme Court, Mr. Deve Gowda said he endorses the decision. "The Government has taken the right step," he said.

Opposition demand

When his attention was drawn to the demand of the Opposition for the resignation of the N. Dharam Singh-led Government, Mr. Deve Gowda said he is happy that they (Opposition parties) have finally mustered courage to seek the resignation of the Government. He sought to know what were they doing when land belonging to the poor was being grabbed by a few powerful people.

Mr. Deve Gowda said it is he who took up the cause of the poor and sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Cases of land grabbing were brought to his notice after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kanakapura. He wrote to Mr. Krishna in this regard in January 2004 and also submitted a memorandum to the Governor.

He also refused to react to the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mani Shankar Aiyar's statement on the Cauvery water dispute.

Charge against Congress

Our Chikmagalur correspondent reports:

Mr. Deve Gowda on Wednesday blamed the Congress for ruining political discipline in the country.

Addressing a party workers' convention at Mudigere, Mr. Deve Gowda said he had made it clear to the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, that he was not prepared to mortgage his party in order to form a government in the State. He is not ready to certify the Congress as completely secular, he said.

Pointing out that India was predominantly rural and could not be compared with developed countries, the Janata Dal (S) chief said the country had the dubious distinction of a growing forex reserves on the one hand and rise in poverty and unemployment on the other.

`Not a setback to party'

Our Shimoga Special Correspondent reports:

The General Secretary of the Janata Dal (S), Y.S.V. Datta, said on Wednesday that the High Court judgement in the BMIC project case is not a setback either to the Government or his party, "but a setback to people's interests."

Addressing presspersons he hailed the decision of the Government to move the Supreme Court against the High Court's judgement.

To a question he observed that there is no need for the Government or any Minister or the Chief Secretary, K.K. Misra, to resign.

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