BJP legislator to go public with evidence against Karnataka CM on August 22

Despite the camaraderie between coalition partners JD (S) and BJP in Karnataka, BJP legislator Janardhan Reddy has threatened to make public all the evidence in his possession with respect to the Rs 1.5 billion bribery charge he has levelled against Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Reddy, who has been holding meetings with select BJP legislators and MPs in Bellary during the last few days, said he was in possession of CDs, tapes, videos and documents that would serve as proof for the corruption charges he had levelled against the Chief Minister and two of his Ministerial colleagues. “Every inch of my allegation is supported with documents and each document has a legal opinion attached to it”, he told reporters.

Reddy has accused Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Home Minister M P Prakash and Forest Minister C Chennigappa of accepting bribe worth Rs 1.5 billion from illegal mine owners in Bellary district.

“I will release the documents on August 22. But, I have not yet finalized the place. It could be either in Bellary or Bangalore. It could also be a simultaneous release in Bellary and Bangalore”, Reddy said.

Reddy, who has so far met 13 MPs and 10 legislators belonging to the BJP during the last two days, said he had been assured of support from his party colleagues. Though the BJP legislator said his intention was not to topple the Government, he said people charged with corruption should not be allowed to continue in power.

The BJP legislator said he was determined to pursue the defamation case he has filed against the Chief Minister for calling him a mad person. Reddy revealed that he would be represented by leading lawyer and former Federal Minister for Law Ram Jethmalani and his daughter Rani Jethmalani in his defamation case.

Meanwhile, in a fresh development, which Reddy says is linked to the Rs 1.5 billion bribery episode, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s sister-in-law H Kavitha cancelled registration of about 20 acres of land she had purchased in Srirangapatna, about 120 kms from here, about two months ago.

Kavitha, wife of Kumaraswamy’s brother H D Balakrishna Gowda, had purchased the land by paying Rs 3.7 million in cash on June 8. But, on August 16, a few days after Congress leaders exposed the purchase of an Information Technology (IT) park in Bangalore by the Chief Minister’s family for a whopping Rs 850 million, Kavitha secured the cancellation of the 20 acres of land.

The purchase of land by Kavitha was exposed by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, a farmers’ organisation. The activists of the farmers’ organization have now sought a probe into the deal.

The issue, however, gave Reddy an opportunity to buttress his charges. He said the Chief Minister’s family had purchased properties worth millions of rupees in the recent past. “My charges will be proved”, he claimed.