BMS Trust: H D Kumaraswamy tries to pin minister for quid pro quo

JD(S) legislature party leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday demanded the ouster of Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, accusing him of quid pro quo in clearing a file allowing billionaire P Dayananda Pai’s appointment as life trustee of the BMS Educational Trust (BMSET).

Narayan dismissed Kumaraswamy's allegations in the Assembly that witnessed three hours of debate on the issue, with the JD(S) insisting on action against the minister.

The BMSET, which runs the BMS brand of institutions in Bengaluru, was formed in 1957 by B S Narayan, the son of B M Srinivasaiah. Narayan's second wife is Ragini is the donor trustee.

"You have colluded with them," Kumaraswamy charged the minister, blaming him for allowing a public charitable trust to be converted into a private one. Kumaraswamy said Narayan's decision had diluted the government's say in the trust's affairs.

"In November 2018, when I was CM, a file came to me seeking approval for four amendments to the trust deed. I rejected it. In a January 2019 note, we explained that the BMS trust can't be treated as a private trust and the proposed amendments would go against the intent of the original deed," Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy claimed that he was under pressure and "given offers" to approve the file. "My signature wasn't for sale," he said. "In June 2019, the government trustee N Manjula, an IAS officer, raised an objection to the appointment of Pai as life trustee," he said.

After the BJP came to power, Kumaraswamy said the file came to life again. "On March 9, 2021, the COMEDK wrote to the government flagging irregularities in BMSCE and BMSIT. Still, the current higher education minister approved the amendment giving the donor trustee the right to appoint a life trustee, who would in turn choose his or her successor," the JD(S) leader said.

Kumaraswamy said in June 2021, a deed of appointment was executed making Pai the life trustee. "He nominated his son P Ravindra Pai as his successor," he said. "Tomorrow, if they decide to close down colleges and enter the realty business, the government can't do anything," he claimed.

In February 2022, Kumaraswamy said Ashwath Narayan wrote a note to his principal secretary seeking an inquiry on allegations against Ragini based on a complaint by Pai. "Khader Pasha from KSOU, who was appointed as inquiry officer, told me he wasn't even aware of the inquiry," Kumaraswamy claimed. "Just 20 days after Narayan's note, Ragini wrote to Pai appointing him as chairperson of the BMSCE board of governors. The note was to scare Ragini," he said.

Narayan accused Kumaraswamy of trying to kill a trust that is doing good work. "There were successive legal opinions, even during Kumaraswamy's government, that there won't be any impediment in approving the amendments. The grant of approval was purely procedural in nature," he said, adding that the government's say in the trust is intact.

Maintaining that Kumaraswamy's "story" had loose ends, Narayan said he is running his department without a blemish. "Nobody can point fingers. I didn't come to politics for a livelihood. I'm not a dynast. I've come with dreams to do good."

On COMEDK's letter, Narayan said they should have approached the Admission Overseeing Committee. On the inquiry note, he said: "We keep issuing such notes. Can we follow-up on each one?"

When the government refused to order an inquiry, the JD(S) decided to stage an overnight protest. It withdrew the protest after Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai convinced Kumaraswamy and his MLAs.