NICE may have ‘won’ some BJP leaders: Gowda

NICE may have ‘won’ some BJP leaders: Gowda
Vijay Times

The JDS-BJP honeymoon in Karnataka appeared to be on the rocks on Friday, with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda charging some State BJP leaders with opposing nationalisation of the Bangalore-Mysore expressway for ‘‘other considerations" and assailing the saffron partys leadership for remaining ‘‘mute spectators." Gowda, who had initially opposed the alliance led by his son H D Kumaraswamy, also categorically asserted that the stand of BJP ministers even against "circulation for eliciting public opinion" of the proposed legislation "will definitely strain the relations between the coalition partners." "Some BJP leaders at the State level not favouring even the public circulation of the Bill shows that the company (NICE) is capable enough to win some of the leaders for other considerations," he told PTI.

Without taking any names, Gowda said he met a top BJP leader in Delhi who was "fully convinced about our stand. This government was formed without my partys approval. Now, when there is an opportunity to set right a project, which is indulging in loot in the name of BOOT (Build, Operate Own, Transfer), I am unable to understand why a national party is becoming a mute spectator," he said.

Gowda alleged that the promoters of the project stood to "illegally gain" a whopping Rs 25,000 crore from the Rs 2,600 crore project, including over Rs 10,000 crores in the first phase itself.

He parried a question on whether the differences could pose a threat to the government, but said, "I am not opposed to the project but I will not let the poor farmers become victims of injustice. Political parties and bureaucrats cannot be allowed to indulge in a loot."