JOIN USAddressing a press conference in Bangalore, Bachegowda alleged that Revanna had violated rules and passed on contracts for providing plastic sachets to two firms –– Rajeshwari International Polymers and Amsa Trading Corporation –– where Revanna’s sisters had stakes. The government, he said, would soon refer the case to the Lokayukta.
Gowda said the contract had initially been awarded to Reliance company. However, Revanna, misusing his powers as KMF Chairman, passed on the contract to five other agencies including the two owned by his sisters Anusuya Manjunath and Shaila Chandrashekar, he charged. Gowda alleged that the violations and favouritism had caused a loss of Rs 2.13 crore and the same had been corroborated by an internal inquiry in KMF and also by the auditors.
In another instance, Gowda alleged that Revanna had taken an “unilateral decision” to sell a new “pouch film plant” of the KMF to a private firm in 1999. The plant that was set up at Marathahalli was sold within 45 days after it was inaugurated, Gowda charged.
Launching another attack on the Gowda family, Chief Minister’s Political Secretary B J Puttaswamy alleged that former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s mother-in-law Vimala Sitaram had purchased 33 acres 28 gunta agricultural land in Ramanagar in 2007 in spite of being a non-agriculturist. He said the purchase of an agricultural land by a non-agriculturist whose annual income was above Rs two lakh per annum amounts to the violation of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, and accused Kumarswamy’s involvement in the deal.
He reiterated that former prime minister H D Devegowda and his family members had illegally acquired 82.01 acres of government land in Hassan district by violating rules and regulations. He demanded that the Gowda family return the lands back to the government immediately.