HOLENARSIPUR (HASSAN DISTRICT): None of the Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, has the moral right to speak about corruption, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has said.

He was reacting to the corruption charges levelled against his Government by the All India Congress Committee president at the rally held in Bangalore on Sunday.

She had alleged that Janata Dal (Secular) was facing allegations from its own coalition partner. Mr. Kumaraswamy, who was here on Monday afternoon to launch development programmes, told presspersons that Ms. Gandhi was levelling baseless allegations against Janata Dal (Secular) even as the Congress was facing charges of corruption.

"Let Ms. Gandhi explain to the nation the role of the Congress and the former Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh in the oil-for-food scam. If she makes baseless allegations against Janata Dal (Secular), we will be forced to question the moral right of Congress leaders in the State, who are accused of many charges, including accepting money from Abdul Karim Lala Telgi, prime accused in the stamp paper scam," he said.

Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that Ms. Gandhi had read out the speech written by somebody and had been misguided.

Reacting to Ms. Gandhi's call to bring the Congress back to power in the State, he said: "Nobody had the capacity to humble my father, the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda."

On Ms. Gandhi's allegation that Mr. Deve Gowda had ditched the Congress in February last to form the Government with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the legislators of the party had felt that it was wrong to align with the Congress which had been rejected by the people.

But to safeguard secular values, Mr. Gowda had entered into a tie-up with the Congress by convincing the legislators, Mr. Kumarsswamy said.

"However, forgetting the support extended by us, the Congress leaders tried to divide our party, If Ms. Gandhi is not aware of this, we are prepared to prove it," Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

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