'Yeddyurappa made Rs 27.18 cr through Trust'
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Mar 9 : The never-say-die former Chief Minister and State JD(S) Chief H D Kumaraswamy, who has been exposing scandals after scandals against his sworn enemy Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, by releasing documentary evidence to prove that the latter and his family members had made ``illegal gains” of Rs 27.18 crore through donations from mining companies to an educational trust run by his son.
Kumaraswamy, who is also the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha member, released the documents at a press conference in New Delhi in the presence of his father and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and other leaders in support of his charges against Yeddyurappa on the alleged corruption scams to the Trust run by the Chief Minister’s son B Y Raghavendra, Shimoga Lok Sabha member of BJP.
Incidentally, the documents released in New Delhi, were simultaneously distributed to the media in Bangalore to ensure that the corruption charges received wider coverage in the national and state media.
The State JD(S) Chief claimed that the donations were allegedly obtained in the form of donations from mining firms and other individuals for official favours during the last two years and the Educational Trust run by Yeddyurappa’s son had become richer by Rs 27.18 crore by ``misusing the office of the chief minister.’’
``The sons of the chief minister had collected huge sums as donations by rendering official favours to the donors for the Trust,’’ Kumaraswamy said promising to come out with more damaging documents to prove the charges of corruption and nepotism against Yeddyurappa.
The Trust had received donations from developers and a public limited mining firm, which had been given Rs 10 crore, Kumaraswamy claimed.
The JD(S) leader said the Trust had also received donation of Rs 50 lakh from founder B Y Raghavendra, the chief minister's son and MP.
Another son, B Y Vijayendra had donated Rs 10 lakh, he alleged.
Kumaraswamy wondered how Yeddyurappa’s sons – B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra – were able to make huge donations to the Trust and demanded that the Chief Minister should come clean on the origin or source of the money.
The JD(S) leader charged that the chief minister and his family had favoured a developer and secured illegal gratification of more than Rs 14 crore, which included around Rs 5 crore to the Trust in return for protection against legal action for encroachment of government tanks and 'nalas' (canals) and for gross violation of norms for their projects.
The Chief Minister had also misused his office to favour the mining company, which had the same management as JSW Steel, he said claiming that JSW Steel gained substantially, Kumaraswamy alleged