Bengaluru: BJP slams Congress for Ashok Kheny flip-flop

Bengaluru: Leaders of BJP, who backed legislator Ashok Kheny and his Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project to the hilt as part of the coalition government headed by JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy in 2006-07, criticized the businessman-politician on the day he was inducted into the ruling Congress, on Monday.

Party spokesperson, S Suresh Kumar, and former deputy chief minister R Ashok told the media here: “Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, had spoken about Rs 2,000 crore scam during execution of the Bengaluru Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) executed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE)). Now, the Congress wants money for Assembly elections, so the party inducted him."

Referring to Congress’ leaders mocking at his party colleagues as ‘jail birds,’ Mr Suresh Kumar said: “They used to describe BJP leaders as jail birds. After inducting them, the party describes them as good and honest leaders. The Congress is hungry, so Mr Kheny has been inducted. The NICE scam was discussed threadbare on the floor of the House. Subsequently, a House committee was constituted. The committee gave a report confirming irregularities in execution of the project. The committee had recommended stringent action too but the Congress has revealed its true colours.”

H.D. Kumaraswamy: Congress lost its moral right to speak against graft
Coming down hard on the Congress for opening its doors to NICE chairman Ashok Kheny, who was not too long ago indicted by a legislature committee on land grabbing charges, state JD(S) chief H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday said it  had lost its moral right to speak against corruption.

Speaking to reporters here, he said by this move the Congress had proved  it fully backed the corrupt and was ready to protect them. Although it spoke against illegal mining, it had also inducted Mr Anand Singh, the prime accused in the Belekeri iron ore export scam, he recalled. And now it had put the report of the legislature committee on NICE in cold storage and inducted Mr  Kheny into its party as well. “What does this show? Both CM  Siddaramaiah and Mr Kheny are partners in corruption and the Congress has become a loot party,'' he charged.

The JD(S) leader also claimed that  at a recent Cabinet meeting steps were taken to protect at least 60 corrupt officials. “The Congress leaders are talking about  corruption in the BJP. But what moral right does it have to talk about this while fostering and indulging in corruption itself?"  he said.