Book bureaucrats too for NICE fraud: Deve Gowda

Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Wednesday stated that many state bureaucrats, who had a role in the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project being implemented by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), should also be held accountable for facilitating the fraud.

Gowda told reporters on Wednesday that a former chief secretary and the then principal secretary of PWD department were the main culprits. “Nodal officers were also responsible. They had made changes in the agreement to benefit NICE,” he charged.

The former minister clarified that by blaming bureaucrats he was not playing politics. Gowda said, “Why are Congressmen silent over the issue? Not a single word has been uttered against NICE by any leader of the party. As a regional party why do we need to protest all the time?” Gowda denied the charges made by social activist TJ Abraham that he, as chief minister, had wrongly allotted the fifth township to NICE.

“The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on the basis of the recommendation of a high powered committee constituted by the government,” he said. The former prime minister rued that on one hand NICE had sued him for Rs10 crore, for issuing defamatory statements against its managing director Ashok Kheni, and on the other he was being made to face the charges of favouring the company.

“I will not relent. The case is coming before the Supreme Court shortly. I will fight my case there. I have no links with NICE after I resigned as chief minister,” he added.