BANGALORE: The Congress on Tuesday demanded that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy reveal the names of the former Minister and the journalist allegedly used by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) as intermediaries to "purchase him."

Addressing presspersons here, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge said it was the moral responsibility of the Chief Minister to make the names of the two public.

Mr. Kumaraswamy on Monday said that NICE had attempted to purchase him using a former Minister and a journalist as intermediaries. The Congress leaders said that the credibility of the Chief Minister's office was very high and Mr. Kumaraswamy should not withhold the names. He could file a complaint with the police against the two intermediaries for attempting to bribe him.

Mr. Dharam Singh demanded that the Government order a CBI inquiry into the extent of land owned by the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and members of his family in the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project area.

Mr. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Singh charged, had filed a false affidavit during the 2004 Assembly elections before the Returning Officer on the extent of land owned by him near Ramanagaram. Mr. Kumaraswamy, in the affidavit, had stated that he owned 24 acres while document showed that he own 46 acres. "Let there be a CBI inquiry to bring out the truth," Mr. Singh said.

Mr. Singh and Mr. Kharge also demanded that the BMIC project's affairs also be subjected to a CBI inquiry so that people would come to know which party had supported and cleared the project. The memorandum of understanding for the project was signed by Mr. Deve Gowda in 1995 when he was the Chief Minister and framework agreement was signed in 1997 when the late J.H. Patel was the Chief Minister.

The Congress had decided to petition the State's Chief Electoral Officer seeking legal action against Mr. Kumaraswamy for filing a false affidavit, the former Chief Minister said.

Mr. Singh, who accused Mr. Deve Gowda of creating bottlenecks to development works in the State, including the BMIC project, reminded him about his earlier statement that he would slit his throat if anyone proved that he or any member of his family owned land near the BMIC project area. Mr. Kumaraswamy himself had admitted that he owned land near Ramanagaram, Mr. Singh said.

The former Minister M.C. Nanaiah, who was present at the press conference, welcomed the Chief Minister's statement on the BMIC. He appealed to him to come out with more details on the corruption involved in the execution of the project.

Mr. Nanaiah also demanded that Mr. Kumaraswamy reveal the names of the former Minister and the journalist who approached him on behalf of NICE.

White paper sought

Delhi Special Correspondent writes:

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H. K. Patil on Tuesday demanded a White Paper on the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project. Stating that the project was mired in controversy, the Congress leader, who is here as part of an all-party delegation of the Council, said the State Government should clear the air.

Referring to the Chief Ministers' allegation that NICE, which is executing the BMIC project, tried to "purchase" him using a former Minister and a journalist as intermediaries, Mr. Patil demanded that the identities of these two individuals be made public.

Also, Mr. Patil demanded a judicial inquiry into the entire incident.

`Unprecedented'

Describing the alleged attempt to bribe Mr. Kumaraswamy as unprecedented in the history of Karnataka, Mr. Patil said: "The very fact that someone should have tried to bribe the Chief Minister is an insult to the people of the State. This incident should not be taken lightly."

Having said this, Mr. Patil questioned the Chief Minister's decision to keep quiet on the issue till date. "Why didn't the Chief Minister lodge a complaint? Why didn't the Chief Minister allow the law to take further action? Why this delay in bringing the matter to public knowledge?"

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