Gowda talk echo at Cong meet

BANGALORE, DHNS:

The land scam charges levelled by Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in his letter to Chief Minister Dharam Singh, continues to test the nerves of the State’s ruling coalition partners - the JD (S) and the Congress. It even has the Chief Minister explaining to his own party cadres.

On Monday, Mr Dharam Singh reiterated that he was seeking neither a CBI nor a judicial probe into the issue even as Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that he would discuss with Mr Singh the alleged scam and possible action against those involved.

Mr Siddaramaiah said that he was yet to go through the contents of Mr Gowda’s letter to the chief minister, but asserted that there was no going back on the decision to punish the guilty if proved.

Participating in a State Congress Committee programme, Chief Minister Dharam Singh noted that the government’s position on the issue was specified during the just concluded legislature session. No probe is being sought, he said.

On the allegations of irregularities in Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project, Mr Singh explained that firstly, the project’s initiation was spread over the non-Congress regimes headed by Mr Deve Gowda and the late J H Patel.

Secondly, in his capacity as minister for Public Works in the previous S M Krishna government, he had himself advised Mr Krishna on the project.

The chief minister told the Congress cadres that there was no need for them to be disturbed by the outbursts and counter outbursts by Congress and JD (S) leaders.

Enough care would be taken to guard the interests of the party, whatever the compulsions of the coalition government, he reassured.