BANGALORE: The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has said that he would dismiss the allegations levelled by the suspended BJP MLC G. Janardhana Reddy against Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and other members of their family with the contempt they deserved.

Reacting to the "evidence" produced Mr. Reddy in Bellary on Wednesday, Mr. Deve Gowda said that the so-called expose was nothing but a vicious attempt to tarnish the image of his family and the JD (S). It had undoubtedly been orchestrated by powerful lobbies whose influence in the State machinery had been eliminated by the coalition Government led by Mr. Kumaraswamy.

"The people of Karnataka are well aware of this deep rooted conspiracy by vested interests to destablise the Government and they will give a befitting reply to these forces at an appropriate time".

Mr. Deve Gowda noted that entire Bellary mining issue had been referred to a commission of inquiry headed by a retired Chief Justice of a High Court (U.L. Bhat, retired Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh and Guwahati High Courts), which would come out with the truth before the people.

"My family members, whose fair name and reputation, Mr. Reddy has sought to tarnish, would take appropriate legal action including criminal defamation suit, against him and others involved in it."

In a separate statement, H.D. Balakrishne Gowda, eldest of the four sons of Mr. Deve Gowda, termed as baseless and false the allegations levelled by Mr. Reddy on the alleged business transactions of a member of their family H. Kavitha and the BSK Trading Inc.

In a statement to the press, Mr. Balakrishne Gowda said that the passbook sheets of the bank account of Ms. Kavitha and the trading company had nothing do with the Chief Minister or the allegations levelled by Mr. Reddy against the Government.

Mr. Balakrishne Gowda said, "there is no illegal transaction made by her. She is an income tax and wealth tax assesee. The business transactions are transparent and duly supported by evidence done in normal course. We will take further course of action on the defamatory pronouncements made in both electronic and print media at the earliest."

He requested the State and Union governments to carry out suitable amendments to the existing provisions of law for speedy trial of defamatory suits, which would enable the defamed person to get justice early. The law should bring to book the persons making reckless and dubious statements, he said.

`Only hype'

State JD (S) spokesman Y.S.V. Datta, MLC, said that Mr. Reddy had brought out only a mouse after a mountain of labour.

The so-called Reddy bomb had turned out to be nothing but media hype and old hat.

The compact discs produced by him should be subject to forensic tests as their genuineness was in doubt.

Minister for Forests and Environment C. Chennigappa said that he had been vindicated as the so-called evidence produced by Mr. Reddy revealed nothing incriminatory against the Chief Minister, Home and Law Minister M.P. Prakssh and himself.

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