Cong makes new charges against K'swamy's kin

Kumaraswamy described the charges as an attempt to tarnish his image as well as that of his government.

Continuing its offensive against Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Congress on Tuesday alleged his kin had fraudulently under-valued property they had bought in the ITPL park, a charge that was denied by the JD-S leader.

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Congress leader DK Shivakumar told a press conference here that six of Kumaraswamy's kin, including his wife Anita, had on March 23 purchased property valued at Rs 85 crore in the park but they registered it for only Rs 36 crore.

Denying Shivakumar's allegations, Kumaraswamy described the charges as an attempt to tarnish his image as well as that of his government.

Shivakumar, a political rival of Kumaraswamy and his father, JD-S chief HD Deve Gowda, said the property should be auctioned to recover the losses caused to the state exchequer. He demanded a probe by the CBI into the matter.

"There should also be a CBI probe into the Rs 150-crore bribery charge against Kumaraswamy by suspended BJP MLC Janardhana Reddy, who alleged the amount was collected from mine owners in Bellary district," he said.

Dismissing the claims of Gowda's another son, PWD and Energy Minister H D Revanna, who had said the family did not own any property, Shivakumar claimed, "The humble farmer's family owns property in ITPL park."

He said others who have a share in the property are Kavitha, the wife of Gowda's son H D Balakrishna Gowda, Gowda's daughters Anasuya and Shailaja, Bhavani, the wife of Revanna, and H D Ramesh, another of Gowda's sons.