BENGALURU: While, the Congress party is busy in its poster campaign against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and on the other hand former Chief Minister and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday demanded the resignation of Minister for Higher Education Dr Ashwath Narayan over his alleged involvement in the BMS Trust scam, besides, seeking a high-level investigation into the alleged irregularities in the BMS Trust of Bengaluru.
BMS Educational Trust (BMSET) runs institutions in Bengaluru and the Trust was formed in 1957 by B S Narayan son of B M Srinivasaiah. Kumaraswamy alleged that Minister Ashwath Narayan allegedly colluded with private parties and helped a public charitable Trust to be converted into a private one thereby weakening the State Government’s role in the functioning of the Trust.
Mr Kumaraswamy demanded that all the assets of the Trust should be confiscated by the State Government. “My government in 2018 had flatly rejected BMS Trust’s amended proposal of donor trustee and life trustee as such changes were illegal. After my government, the BJP government which came to power gave approval to the amended proposal at a lightning speed,’ alleges Kumaraswamy.
Linking the name of Minister Ashwath Narayan in the scam, Mr Kumaraswamy questioned the Minister ‘What is the conspiracy behind not acting on the letters of government Trustees and IAS officer Dr Manjula and another retired IAS officer Madangopal highlighting alleged irregularities in the Trust.”
Kumaraswamy claimed that the documents placed by him in the Legislative Assembly pertaining to the alleged scam in BMS trust spoke volumes on the irregularities and suspected that a conspiracy has been hatched to make his bullet (allegations) misfire. The Minister Ashwath Narayan denied the allegations of Kumaraswamy.
