Siddu Wants Income Tax Probe Against Yeddy, Family
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, June 21: Theatening to expose income tax irregularities indulged in by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his family members, Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive probe in all the scandals.
The Congress Opposition leader in the State Legislative Assembly indicated that he would write to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee seeking the detailed probe in to tax evasion by the Chief Minister and his family members.
He alleged that Yeddyurappa and his family members have set up 11 companies and several trusts for converting black money into white and evaded income tax to the tune of Rs 339.54 crore.
Companies and trusts have been formed during the last four years, after Yeddyurappa became the Deputy Chief Minister in the H D Kumararaswamy-led JD(S)-BJP coalition regime.
The market value of all the properties would be at least an estimated Rs. 642.23 crore, the Congress leader alleged.
Siddaramaiah said he would write to Mukherjee seeking a detailed inquiry into appropriation of wealth and tax evasion by the Chief Minister and his family members.
State resources worth Rs. 50,000 crore were looted during the last three years of the BJP rule, he said alleging that Yeddyurappa and his family members were involved in all the scams.
During the last four months, the Government has not released pension amount for widows, physically handicapped and old age people, he said debunking the claims of the BJP Government about its development programmes.
Stating that he would also write to Yeddyurappa urging him to take steps for releasing pending pension dues, Siddaramaiah said the Government should issue Bhagyalaxmi bonds to girl children born in below poverty line (BPL) families during 2010-11 and in the current financial year.
The state has been facing shortage of fertilizers, particularly DAP, since the commencement of the kharif season. Instead of depending on the Centre for allocation of quota, the State should make arrangements to keep sufficient stock of inputs. The shopkeepers have been charging Rs. 750 more than the maximum retail price (MRP), he said.
The government run cooperatives have not issued crop loans at the rate of one per cent to farmers till now, he alleged and demand a white paper on the issue from Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi who had recently said that cooperative societies and banks have disbursed crop loans of Rs. 1259 crore to 3.43 lakh farmers in the first two months of the current fiscal year (2011-12).
The paddy and silk growers were financially hit by crash in the prices of both commodities.
The government has failed to come to the rescue of the farmers through the market interventions scheme. The cocoons were being sold at Rs. 100 per kg against Rs. 350 per kg last year, he added.