K'taka Govt awaiting TV clippings to sue BJP legislator

Bellary, July 26 (UNI) The Karnataka Government is awaiting certified copies from TV channels to use their clippings in support of the criminal defamation case it is planning to file against BJP legislator G Janardhana Reddy for making derogatory remarks against Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and two of his ministerial colleagues while levelling bribery charges against them.

Informing this to reporters here today, Home Minister M P Prakash said though his department had given the go ahead to file the case, it would be delayed for a couple of days as the government was awaiting for the TV channels to give the copies. As per law, there was six months time to file such cases, he added.

He informed that the government had appointed State Public Prosecutor Dorairaj and his deputy as its counsel for the case.

Criticising Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Mallikarjuna Kharge's remark that the judicial inquiry ordered into the mining activities was nothing but delaying tactics followed by the government, Mr Prakash said perhaps the Congress' approach towards the Bofors scandal made him pass such negative comments.

Asked about the allegation levelled by Mr Reddy against Mr Kumaraswamy, Forests Minister C Chennigappa and himself, he said ''In my entire political career, spanning four decades, I have not faced such a charge. However, I shall emerge out of it unscathed.'' Mr Reddy had recently alleged that Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Chennigappa had received a bribe of Rs 150 crore from the mining lobby in the district and accused Mr Prakash of shielding his son in the illegal mining issue.

He declined to comment on reports that the Bellary police have listed Tourism Minister B Sriramulu as rowdy-sheeter. He merely said he had respect and good faith in Mr Sriramulu.

On the continuing illegal mining activities at the Suggalamma hill, a disputed area bordering Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, he said despite a court ordering a ban on ore excavation in the site on a public interest litigation, illegal mining activities had been going on in the area. ''I have to blame myself for doing nothing in this connection despite being the district incharge minister for several years. Now I have come to know that a private company, OMC, is carrying out ore excavation in the area and it needs to be dealt with seriously.'' He lamented that despite Deputy Commissioner Arvind Srivastav and his predecessor Gowri Trivedi writing to the Centre to take up a survey of the area, nothing had been done so far.

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