'Pot cannot Call the Kettle Black' - BJP Tells HDK on Land Scam
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Oct 2: ''Pot cannot call the kettle black,” is the message conveyed by the ruling BJP to former chief minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy for his attacks against state chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on the issue of denotification of lands earmarked for acquisition.
The ruling BJP fielded its Vokkaliga stalwarts in Bangalore North Lok Sabha MP and former speaker of state Assembly D B Chandre Gowda, labour minister B N Bache Gowda, Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA and former MP M Srinivas, all of whom were with the Janata Dal in the past, and the chief minister’s political secretary B J Puttaswamy to defend Yeddyurappa following the spate of allegations leveled by Kumaraswamy.
In an attempt to deflect criticism and also to blunt the charges leveled by Kumaraswamy, the BJP leaders sought to tarnish the JD(S) leader with the same brush and divulged details of land denotifications made during his 20-month rule in the state with the support of BJP.
"How can Kumaraswamy, who had ordered denotification to the maximum extent of 275.21 acres of prime land during his 20-month rule which incidentally is the highest during any chief minister’s rule in the last decade, accuse Yeddyurappa?" they asked and disclosed that a total of 957 acres had been denotified during the last one decade.
They said chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has agreed to order a probe either by the House committee or by the state Lokayukta into all issues related to denotifications during the last one decade ''to stop washing of dirty linen in the public.”
The S M Krishna government issued denotifications for 251.32 acres, the Dharam Singh government for 132.02 acres, the Kumaraswamy government for 275.21 acres, during the President’s Rule (Rameshwar Thakur) for 127.21 acres, and the present Yeddyurappa government for 169.19 acres, they said quoting official documents.
The BJP leaders pointed out that denotification of land marked for acquisition was not something new done only by the Yeddyurappa regime and all previous chief ministers had done it at different points of time.
''We have records of the entire last decade,” they said and pointed out that all chief ministers exercising their powers under the Act of 1984 in the last one decade issued denotifications.
''But this attempt to tarnish the image of the present government must stop when all chief ministers in the past had resorted to denotification of land,” Chandre Gowda.
On Friday October 1, Kumaraswamy had alleged that Yeddyurappa had ordered the denotification of 6.35 acres in Rachenahally village limits, which had already been converted into a residential site by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for allotment in Arkavathy layout.
Kumaraswamy as the chief minister had denotified 60 acres in favour of Manyata Promoters Private Limited for formation of information technology/biotechnology parks at the Arkavathi Layout on May 4, 2007, BJP leaders said pointing out that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which was entrusted with the task of forming the Arkavathi Layout, had opposed the denotification in favour of Manyata Promoters Private Limited.
But the committee headed by then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy issued denotification under the state Land Acquisition Act, 1984.
As regards the charges by the JD(S) leader regarding the signatures and initials in the documents relating to denotification of lands and the attempts to derive political mileage by pointing out that somebody else had misused Yeddyurappa’s name to order denotification by using initials instead of the full signature, Chandre Gowda said, ''The chief minister has himself clarified that the signatures and initials displayed in the documents released by him (Kumaraswamy) were his (Yeddyurappa) and that he has been using full signatures or initials in his official dealings. Therefore, the controversy must stop at that point.”
''If he (Kumaraswamy) or anybody else has any doubts, let them establish the same during the probe or move the court. But attempts to belittle the office of the chief minister must stop,” Chandre Gowda said.