K'taka CM should disclose names bribery attempt : Patil

New Delhi, Jun 13 (UNI) Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Council H K Patil today urged state Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to disclose the names of the two persons who attempted to bribe him on behalf of NICE, the contractors of controversial Bangalore-Mysore Expressway.

Mr Patil, who is in Delhi, told newspersons that the statement of Chief Minister as appearing in the newspapers was a serious issue and his words could not be taken lightly.

He should disclose the names of the former minister in Dharam Singh government and the journalist who attempted to influence or bribe him for agreeing to acquire excess lands for the Expressway project after he took over as CM. The whole issue should be referred to a Judicial Commission for inquiry, he demanded.

He said it was not proper for the CM to keep the incident under wraps for the CM and the state machinary should have taken action immediately after the bribe offer was made.

He said the Congress had taken exception to the state government signing the clauses providing for arbitration by a London Court and also the clause which sought to curtail the powers of the Legislature by prescribing that any law passed should be to the 'reasonable satisfaction' of the company concerned.

The Congress also objected to allowing the rights to recycled the drainage water or delegation of powers of the police to the company on the roads. The MoU for the Expressway was signed in 1995-96 and the Framework Agreement during 1997-98, he said.

The issue concerning thousands of acres of public land could not be a personal squabble but an issue concerning the people's and state's interest. ''Hence there should be a detailed white account to the people,'' he said.

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