BJP seeks ED probe into Rs 251-cr bank loan to Harsha Sugars

The BJP on Thursday demanded an Enforcement Directorate (ED) enquiry into the charges that co-operative banks illegally sanctioned Rs 251 crore term loan to Harsha Sugars, in which Congress leader Lakshmi Hebbalkar is the managing director.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, BJP general secretary and MLA C T Ravi said a consortium of seven co-operative banks had sanctioned the loan against a total security of 51 acres of industrial land worth only about Rs 1.69 crore in Savadatti taluk of Belagavi district. “It is a Vijay Mallya-like case in Karnataka. The Congress government has enabled its leader to obtain huge sums of loan by throwing all rules to the winds,” he charged.

Besides, Lakshmi’s brother has been allotted 15 mega watt-capacity solar power generation project by the government. Her brother has submitted 10 online application forms for the project in a span of 59 seconds to obtain the projects. It is a biggest fraud in the government in the name of farmers, he charged.

“We also have information that Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd has purchased large quantity of coal from an Indonesian company. People related to Harsha Sugars are said to be benami owners of the company. We will release all documents in this regard shortly,” the BJP leader said.

Ravi demanded that the government should withdraw all charges against former Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) chairman Gonal Bhimappa and other members following its decision to accept Karnataka Administrative Tribunal order on the recruitment of 2011 batch gazette probationers.