Cornered, CM shifts focus to Gowda family

Miffed at the Opposition parties’ persistent demand for a CBI probe into the Prerana Education and Social (PES) Trust issue, Chief Minister Yeddyurappa on Thursday lambasted JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda’s family for allegedly ''looting the State''.

He said people had already taught them a lesson for their misdeeds.

Speaking in the Legislative Council amidst dharna by the Opposition, the chief minister called Gowda’s family a curse for Karnataka and listed out the alleged irregularities committed by Deve Gowda when he was in power.

He warned the Congress that it would perish in the State, if it joined hands with the Gowda-led JD(S).

Gowda had allegedly allotted 48 sites of the Mysore Urban Development Authority to various members of his family, including H D Kumaraswamy, in prime localities of Mysore in one go.

The BSK Trading Corporation had allegedly received Rs 167 crore in cash from mining companies and Kumaraswamy had illegally renewed mining lease for Jantkal company for 40 years, Yeddyurappa said.

He asked the Opposition members why they did not speak about irregularities by Gowda’s family and discussed only PES Trust run by his two sons.

Defending the Trust, he said PES was a prestigious institution and there were many great personalities who were members of the Trust. Nothing illegal had happened in the Trust as had been made out by the Opposition parties, he added.

Members clash in Council

Excise Minister M P Renukacharya and some JD(S) MLCs indulged in a wordy duel and even went to the extent of exchanging blows in the Council.

The trigger was Yeddyurappa calling the Gowda family a curse on Karnataka. JD(S) members Sandesh Nagaraj and Chikkamadu raised objections to it. Renukacharya tried to defend the chief minister, leading to the argument. The minister warned Nagaraj by waving his finger at him and the latter shoved him away. Renukacharya tried to grab the JD(S) member by his collar, but others held him back. Chairman D H Shankaramurthy immediately got up from his seat and asked the members to behave themselves.