Thaindian News

Bangalore, June 14 (IANS) Former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular leader H.D. Deve Gowda’s family exported over 150,000 tonnes of iron ore soon after his son became chief minister of Karnataka in 2006, the Bharatiya Janata Party government asserted Tuesday.

“Companies owned by Gowda’s family members had exported over 150,000 tonnes of iron ore to China and Singapore within a few months of Gowda’s son H.D. Kumaraswamy becoming chief minister in 2006,” B.J. Puttaswamy, political secretary to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, told reporters here.

“The companies had shown business transaction of Rs.167 crore in six months from March 1, 2006,” Puttaswamy said, releasing documents to disprove Kumaraswamy’s claim that none from Gowda’s family was involved in iron ore mining or exports.

Kumaraswamy took over as chief minister of the JD-S-BJP coalition government on Feb 4, 2006. The coalition collapsed in November 2007.

Puttaswamy said the companies were owned by Kumaraswamy’s brother and sister-in-law. “They do not own mines, but exported such a huge quantity of iron ore soon after Kumaraswamy became chief minister,” he said.

“Kumaraswamy should explain to the people from whom they secured the ore for export. If he does not, I will make public the documents in two or three days,” Puttaswamy said.

On Monday, Yeddyurappa said in north Karnataka town of Hubli that “we have got documents to prove that Gowda’s family was involved in illegal iron ore exports and will make it public.”

Puttaswamy said he would submit the documents to state Lokayukta (ombudsman) N. Santosh Hegde and seek a probe into involvement of Gowda’s family in the iron export business.

Hegde, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, is to submit before August a report on illegal iron ore mining in and exports from Karnataka.

Hegde has said the report would be “explosive” but has declined to indicate whether he would name the political leaders involved in illegal mining and exports.