Shobha Sticks to Dharmasthala Test, Asks HDK to Fix Date
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Nov 22: For the second time, Karnataka’s Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje harped on her offer to prove her innocence before Lord Manjunatha in Sri Kshethra Dharmasthala regarding the corruption charges leveled against her by the former chief minister and state JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy and has appealed to the latter to fix a date for the visit to prove his allegations.
Releasing copies of a four-page letter written by her to Kumaraswamy on his remarks pertaining to the corruption charges, Shobha claimed that she was totally innocent and had indulged in any acts of corruption or in land denotifications or allotting lands in favour of her or relatives.
All charges leveled by Kumaraswamy against her were baseless and frivolous, she said and asked the JD(S) leader to take up the challenge to prove them before Lord Manjunatha in Dharmasthala.
Kumaraswamy had questioned the integrity of Karandlaje and asked how she can run a company with an investment of crores of rupees just a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 or raise a loan of Rs 3 crore from the State Bank of India by pledging a 50 x 80 ft site in the city or buy 166 acre coffee plantation in Kodagu district.
Answering questions from reporters on the raging controversy regarding the irregularities and favouritism or nepotism in the land denotification, the minister said she was personally against denotification of lands and acquisition of fertile lands of farmers for industrial projects in the State.
She had not allowed any official in her office to seek bribe to get the people’s work done. "I am ready to prove my innocence before Lord Manjunatha in Dharmasthala," she said.
Stating that she had written to the Chief Minister, Urban Development Minister and Bangalore Development Authority Commissioner opposing denotification of lands, Karandlaje said: "Notification and denotification menace is there for the past few decades."
For the last few days, Kumaraswamy has been releasing documents related involvement of the Chief Minister and his children in the alleged land scam. Subsequently, Opposition leaders have been demanding the resignation of Yeddyurappa.
The Opposition questioned the purchase of 166 acres of coffee plantation Tannimani near Bhagmandala, Kodagu district by Karandlaje and her sources of income to buy the property.