BANGALORE: The Congress has decided to continue its dharna in the Legislative Assembly demanding Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiries into the bribery charge against Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Addressing presspersons after Speaker Krishna adjourned the House for the day on Monday, Leader of the Opposition N. Dharam Singh and senior member M. Mallikarjun Kharge said the Government should concede their demand for CBI inquiries into the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project and the bribery charge against the Chief Minister.

Mr. Kumaraswamy must resign and face the inquiry into the bribery allegation. He had no moral right to continue in office since the person who had levelled the allegation against him, Janardhan Reddy, was a Bharatiya Janata Party MLC belonging to the ruling coalition. The BJP had not denied his allegation. A member of the Cabinet, State BJP president D.V. Sadananda Gowda, MP, and another BJP MP had supported Mr. Reddy. The Chief Minister had to come clean on the charge and an adjournment motion should be allowed for discussing the issue in the House, they said.

The Congress would stage protests in all the districts demanding CBI inquiries into the BMIC project and the bribery charge. All development works had come to a standstill owing to serious differences between the coalition partners, they said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil has also demanded a CBI investigation into the allegation against the Chief Minister.

`Allegation serious'

Mr. Patil told presspersons here on Monday that a member of the House levelling such a serious allegation against the Chief Minister at a press conference held at the official residence of a Minister merited a discussion in the House. Moreover, the allegation was levelled when the House was in session.

Mr. Kumaraswamy should resign immediately, Mr. Patil said.

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