Congress workers protest as party inducts third MLA facing corruption allegations

BENGALURU: The Congress in Karnataka has inducted a third MLA accused of corrupt practices -- Ashok Kheny -- from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region into their party, after Anand Singh and B Nagendra, both accused in a Rs 16,400 crore illegal mining scam, joined in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi about a month ago.

These additions give the opposition BJP a strong stick to beat the ruling party with, in line with their national president Amit Shah’s strategy to target the Congress in Karnataka on corruption. Gandhi and chief minister Siddaramaiah welcoming Singh and Nagendra into the Congress at Hospete caused much consternation for party workers and ironic jibes from the opposition, as the party came to power in 2013 on the anti-illegal mining plank.

Kheny, who merged his Karnataka Makkala Paksha (he is the sole MLA) with the Congress on Monday, has been facing allegations of illegal sale of land in the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project. A house committee of the Karnataka legislature, headed by law minister T B Jayachandra has submitted a report contending that Kheny’s company (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise) had violated the framework agreement and recommending a CBI probe.


Former law minister and senior BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar, who has agitated against the BMIC project, said in a video message: “This shows that the Congress is opportunistic and anti-people. Their decision (to induct Kheny) will benefit us in Hyderabad-Karnataka and in Bengaluru.”

Congress workers in Bidar South (Kheny’s constituency) burnt his photograph and staged protests against his induction. But the party’s Karnataka campaign committee chairman and power minister D K Shivakumar said: “His business dealings do not have anything to do with the Congress party.”