The Hindu : Congress warns Bangarappa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 04, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Congress warns Bangarappa

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MARCH 3. The Congress has threatened to pursue the corruption cases against the former Chief Minister, S. Bangarappa, to their logical end and also ridiculed the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national and State levels for deciding to admit him into its fold.

While announcing the expulsion of Mr. Bangarappa and that of his son, Kumar Bangarappa, who was till now a Minister of State, at a press conference this evening, the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), B. Janardhana Poojary, reminded the BJP leaders about their campaign against the former Chief Minister during 1990-92.

Mr. Poojary said that Mr. Bangarappa was facing two cases of corruption — the Classik computer case and the disproportionate assets' case. The Government had gone in appeal in both those cases against the judgments of the trial courts. Maintaining that the Congress had been magnanimous to him, Mr. Poojary noted that despite those cases, the Congress had decided to give him the party nomination for the Lok Sabha election.

`BJP exposed'

The BJP's decision to admit him despite knowing his "history" only revealed the weakness of that party, Mr. Poojary said. The BJP had called him "the most corrupt chief minister" when he was in power. But now, the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, was going to welcome him into the Party with a hug. The BJP gave him a helicopter to travel within the State, he added.

Mr. Poojary said that the Congress would expose the BJP and its "value-based politics" in its election campaign. Accusing Mr. Bangarappa of being opportunistic, power hungry, and arrogant, the KPCC chief said that the people of the State would teach him a lesson. He was a politician who insisted on being given the "no. 1" position wherever he was. In 1982, he eased out late Abdul Nazir Sab and became the President of the Karnataka Kranti Ranga. It was sheer arrogance which had made Mr. Bangarappa say that he would annihilate the Congress.

Mr. Poojary recalled that he was an AICC office-bearer when Mr. Bangarappa was removed from the Chief Ministership in 1992. At first he resisted the directive to resign. Thereupon, an ultimatum was served on him and he was made to resign, he added.

Mr. Poojary said Mr. Bangarappa had benefited the most from the Congress. Despite knowing his "history", the Congress had selected him as its candidate for the Shimoga Lok Sbha seat.

Earlier, the party appointed his son as a Minister.

He said that he would again warn Mr. Bangarapap to beware of the BJP. This time he had made his son repeat the mistake he had committed and also jeopardised his political career.

The State Congress chief maintained that the resignation of Mr. Bangarappa would hardly affect the prospects of the Congress. He was by no means an asset to the Congress, he said and added that even without his campaigning, the party had won almost all the Assembly byelections.

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