×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Trust scam rocks both Houses

Opposition members stage dharna in the Assembly and Council
Last Updated 15 March 2011, 17:48 IST

In the council, the Opposition members said it is immoral to receive donations from real estate developers and mining companies and demanded the resignation of Yeddyurappa over the Trust issue.

Continuing Monday’s dharna over Prerana Trust, Leader of the Opposition  Siddaramaiah said the donations received by Prerana Education and Social Trust amounts to kickbacks.

Hence, a CBI probe should be ordered and Yeddyurappa should immediately resign owning moral responsibility, he insisted.

Efforts by Speaker K G Bopaiah to convince the aggressive opposition to take part in the proceedings went in vain.

“We want to know why private companies, especially mining and real estate companies, donated in crores to the Trust. These companies have received big favours from the Chief Minister, and they, in turn, have paid bribe in the form of donations,” Siddaramaiah alleged.

Members of both Opposition parties then staged a dharna and raised slogans against the Chief Minister. The Speaker’s efforts to  break the ice by calling a meeting of floor leaders were fruitless. Law Minister S Suresh Kumar reiterated that the Government will not hand over any case to the CBI for an inquiry, a stand taken by the BJP at the national level.

In the Council JD (S) leader M C Nanaiah and Congress’ Motamma, V R Sudarshan and K C Kondaiah tabled some documents to buttress their argument that the Chief Minister had favoured Jindal Steel and Adarsh Builders in return of huge donation they made to the Trust. Nanaiah said the Revenue Secretary and a Task Force chairman had written to the government that the Adarsh Builders has encroached a tank bund at Devarabisanahalli. Revenue Seretary Manjula had written in last July to Principal Secretary Prasad stating that for the second time the Chief Minister’s office interfered in the builder’s case and the department was losing its morale to fight encroachments, Nanaiah charged.

The JD (S) leader said that BBMP officials had colluded with the builder in leaving out 13.21 guntas from the said lake area to allow Adarsh Builders for constructing a private road. Receiving money from such sources sends wrong signal to the people though it may not be illegal, he added.

Kondaiah took on Yeddyurappa saying that he owed an explaination as to how three loss making companies were able to donate Rs 3.4 crore each to the Prerana Trust.
With the Opposition staging a dharna demanding a CBI probe, the House was adjourned for Wednesday.

* Prerana not a family trust
* Nothing wrong in receiving donations
* Govt hasn’t favoured any company since BJP came to power
* Trust has received Rs 5.4 crore from Adarsh Builders
* Encroachment charge against Adarsh Builders not proved
* Trust has maintained financial records up to date
* No donation has been misused by Trust
* Ready for a joint inspection of private road built by Adarsh Builders 

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 15 March 2011, 09:49 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT