JD(S) leaves Cong 'powerless', HDK to skip meet on scam

The JD(S) is likely to throw a spanner in the state government's plan to hit back at the BJP using a legislative committee looking into irregularities in purchase of power since 2005.

JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday said he would submit a dissent note to the House committee in a day or two. He also said that he will neither attend the final meeting of the panel scheduled on November 7 nor sign its report.

The committee, headed by Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, has decided to table its report in the winter session of the legislature scheduled to commence from November 13. The ruling Congress is said to be planning to make use of the report to counter the BJP, which had recently accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar of being involved in a Rs 447-crore scam pertaining to coal block allocation.

"Do they (Congress leaders) think that I am an illiterate to sign anything that they put before me? The officials have given a clarification to a letter I had written in June this year highlighting illegalities that had happened during both the BJP and the Congress regimes. The officials have issued a clarification stating that there were no wrongdoings or losses. They are clearly trying to mislead me, as they themselves are guilty. I will give my reply to the clarification expressing my disagreement," he said, adding that he will write the letter before November 7.

Terming the Congress and the BJP as "two sides of the same coin", Kumaraswamy said the government was not serious about exposing the illegalities.

He also dismissed charges that there were irregularities during his term as the chief minister and his brother H D Revanna's stint as the energy minister.

"I am ready to face any enquiry. The truth is bound to come out. Once the panel submits the report to the government, I will expose the truth with documentary evidence. I will even raise this subject during the legislature session in Belagavi." he added.

Recently, Shivakumar had met Kumaraswamy at his residence to discuss the report. This had fuelled speculation that the JD(S) had joined hands with the Congress in this regard.  

On seeking his reaction, Shivakumar wondered why Kumaraswamy has changed his stand now. "But the JD(S) leader is free to take any stand. I have convened the panel's meeting on November 7, and I hope he will attend it," he added.