Bangalore: Gowda Asks Yeddy to Convene Special Session on BMIC Project

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Sept 24: Firing yet another salvo at Karnataka’s BJP chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has demanded a special legislature session to discuss the alleged irregularities and loot of farmers’ properties in the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project.

The fomer prime minister, who ironically had initiated the project when he was the chief minister of Karnataka, has been waging a relentless battle against the present managing director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Ltd Ashok Kheny,  entrusted with the execution of the 111-kms expressway linking the two cities.

It may be recalled that Gowda and his son, the former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, have been opposing the BMIC project and have been leading a series of agitations and public protests besides approaching the state high court and even the supreme court without succeeding in their mission to scuttle the project.

"If Yeddyurappa has any concern for the state, farmers and wants to keep up his promise of convening special session to debate on scams, he should immediately call a special session on BMIC project,’’ the JD(S) leader said.

Gowda, who had signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 1995 for implementing the project when he was the chief minister, sought to distance himself from controversies that have engulfed the project, including allotment of 20,000 acres of land.

"NICE was not in picture at that time,’’ he said pointing out that the original MoU was signed with a consortium of two foreign firms and an Indian company. ``I would never have entered into such a deal if I had even an inkling of the fraud on farmers and the state that would be committed,’’ he said.

"Let there be an open debate on the changes that the project witnessed under successive governments after I left the state to become prime minister,’’ he said promising to see that his party came out all the facts.

Gowda said the people have a ``right to know the complete truth and role played by different political parties and their leaders.’’

The JD(S) supremo clarified that he had not entered into any deal for providing huge chunks of land to the promoters of BMIC at a throwaway price of Rs 10 per acre and claimed that that the original MoU had a clause for purchasing land at prevailing market rates.