CM keeps low profile on NICE

CM keeps low profile on NICE
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Even as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy refrained from making any statements on the controversial Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project (BMIC) on Saturday, two senior JD(S) Ministers in the coalition government have come out strongly against their partner BJP over comments against former Prime Minister and their party national president H D Deve Gowda.

Transport Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy said the JD(S) was not willing to continue in the government if Gowda was being hurt. “We forged an alliance with the BJP after resistance from Gowda. This does not mean that we will continue to share power without Gowda's consent,” he said in reply to strong remarks made against the latter by BJP president D V Sadananda Gowda.

“Gowda is not just a JD(S) leader. He had been the Prime Minister and has the ability to guide not only this government but even the Centre on various issues,” he said.

Sadananda Gowda on Friday had said that Deve Gowda's comments had no value. “He should restrict himself to the party line and refrain from making comments against Deve Gowda,” Cheluvarayaswamy said and added that it was upto the government to take or not take suggestions of Deve Gowda.

Later in the day, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Horatti also defended Gowda, who has declared war against Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), the promoters of BMIC. “Gowda seems to be correct in his assessment of BMIC taking more land than required,” he said.

According to him, the previous Congress government had given 29,000 acres of land and not 20,139 acres at Rs 10 per square metre. “The then government had also given powers to NICE to take over these lands within 12 years as and when it required,” he said and added that the present government had so far gathered around 80 per cent of the documents relating to previous Congress government on NICE.

He also took exception to the BJP stand on the BMIC project and said it was not just 2,450 acres of excess land that is in question. “There is more than that,” he said.

Both Horatti and Cheluvarayaswamy said the government was not against the BMIC project. “We just want NICE to comply with the original framework agreement.”