MYSORE: Karnataka is on the way to becoming a "failed State," according to Administrative Reforms Commission chairman M. Veerappa Moily.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the former Chief Minister said the State's politicians were responsible for creating such a situation. With the collapse of infrastructure in Bangalore, industries, especially those in information technology and biotechnology sectors, were set to migrate to Hyderabad, Pune or Kolkata, Mr. Moily warned. Apart from the poor infrastructure, red tape and corruption were forcing investors away from the State. If the trend were to be reversed, the present government should take the lead, Mr. Moily said.

Mr. Moily claimed that that it was during his tenure as Chief Minister that the Government bought land near Devanahalli for the international airport project.

He also claimed credit for the setting up of Electronics City and the International Tech Park in Bangalore, which fuelled the growth of the IT sector in Karnataka. "But subsequent governments failed to build on the tempo of growth," Mr. Moily said.

He said the present Janata Dal (S)-Bharatiya Janata Party government was in the thick of corruption scandals and predicted the fall of the H.D. Kumaraswamy government on the mining issue. "The mining controversy arose because of the irresponsible policies of the Government. These policies made the Government vulnerable to scams and corruption charges. The Government will go because of the mining scandal," he said.

To a question, Mr. Moily said he welcomed the entry of the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah into the Congress fold. "It demonstrates the inability of the JD(S) to retain its secular image. It is a boost to the Congress," he said.

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