Bangalore, Mar 14: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said no favour has been done to the firms which donated in the trust run by his sons and all the donations received have been "accounted for" as he rejected the opposition's demand for a CBI probe into this issue.
In his reply to the four-hour long debate on the charge made by Congress and JD(S) that Rs 27.18 crore was donated to Prerana Educational and Social Trust in return forofficial favours, Yeddyurappa said they were making allegations without any basis and to project him as "an accused in the eyes of the public."
Yeddyurappa also rejected the opposition demand for a CBI probe and his resignation on the issue.The trust is run by Yeddyurappa's sons B Y Raghavendra, an MP, and B Y Vijayendra and some others.
"It is not uncommon for Educational Trust to receive donations. All the donations received have been accounted for and receipts provided to donors," the Chief Minister said.Maintaining all the donations received by Prerana Trust were within the legal framework, he said, "Enforcement Directorate can act if there is any illegality."
He said though an MoU had been signed between Jindal firm and state-owned Mysore Minerals in 1997 on iron ore mining and revenue sharing, the previous governments had not taken steps to implement it leading to revenue loss of RS 917.31 crore.
It was BJP government that raised the premium on iron ore from 6 per cent to 50 per cent, fetching about Rs 250 crore revenue, he said, adding Jindal, one of the donors, had not been granted any fresh mining licence.On donations received from Adarsha Developers, a realtor, he said they had also not been granted any favour.
Yeddyurappa sought to turn the tables on JD (S) leader H D Revanna, one of the leaders who had made the allegations relating to donations, saying, "assets of Revanna as declared by him in 2004 elections was Rs 1.72 crore and it rose to a staggering Rs 103.79 crore in 2008 polls."
When Revanna disputed the charge, Yeddyurappa said he was quoting the figures published by Karnataka Election Watch,a NGO that has compiled these details.
Yeddyurappa also charged that when Revanna's brother H D Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister, the firms owned by his family members, including BSK Trading Corporation, received funds to the tune of Rs 167 crore and wanted to know its source.
Opposition Congress leader Siddaramaiah insisted that three Maharashtra based companies, which were supplying manpower to Jindal Steels, had made the donations to the extent of Rs 40 crore in return for official favours shown to the steel making firm. "How can loss making firm make huge donations in the order of Rs 3.40 Crore?"
The state government did not collect Rs 118 crore arrears due from Jindal to MML and Adarsh Developers were allowed to encroach government land, he charged.Even as the opposition parties engaged in seeking clarifications and disputing Yeddyurappa's reply, the Speaker K G Bopaiah adjourned the house to tomorrow. PTI
