From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Aug 18: JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday alleged that he is being blackmailed by some Congress ministers by raking up the case pending against him in the Supreme Court and asserted that he will not fear such attempts.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru on Sunday, he declared that he will fight against the State Government single-handedly and has not sought support of ministers including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Kumaraswamy alleged that State Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot is being “insulted” and he is being “blackmailed” by raking up old pending cases pending in Supreme Court.
“I don’t care about the government’s attempts and will fight against the Congress on my own,” he said alleging that Governor is being “threatened” and people are being “instigated to rise against Raj Bhavan” by the Congress leaders and ministers after the Governor accorded sanction to the petitions by social activists against the chief minister in the MUDA scam.
“I single-handedly faced the mining allegation against me in 2006 within two months after becoming the chief minister that I had collected money from mine owners. I never sought to take shelter of legislators and ministers. I am not a coward,” he declared.
Deve Gowda had nothing to do with Governor’s action
Kumaraswamy strongly denied the charge by Congress leaders that his father and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had “exerted pressure on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to direct the Governor to accord sanction” and asked: “Don’t we have any other work? Deve Gowda had met Amit Shah to include Kadugollas in the Scheduled Tribes list and I had also attended the meeting.”
The JD(S) leader refuted the charge that Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy are out to send Siddaramaiah to jail. “I have many other things to say about Siddaramaiah,” he said.
He also made it clear that he is not demanding Siddaramaiah’s resignation because he knows that he will not quit. “There are laws and whatever has to happen will happen in accordance with law,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said the Congress MPs took the oath in Lok Sabha by exhibiting the copy of the Constitution. But the same Congress party is holding ugly demonstrations and protests against a Constitutional functionary like the Governor. “I have not seen this kind of behaviour in any other state,” he said. The JD(S) leader said the High Court has quashed the Jantakal mining scam.
“The Government is free to investigate the Sai Venkateshwara scam. Nobody prevents them," he said.
Attacking his bête-noire and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the JD(S) leader went on to sarcastically mention that “somebody is declaring that he will stand like a rock behind Siddaramaiah” and claimed that “this same rock poses danger to Siddaramaiah.”
The union minister claimed that the BJP-JD(S) 'Mysuru Chalo' padayatra and the Governor’s decision of according sanction for investigating the MUDA scam have no connection. “We held the padayatra to educate the people,” he said, pointing out that the people are aware of the joint padayatra.