Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday dared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order a CID probe into the blocking of seats by private professional colleges, considering that many of these institutions are run by Congressmen.
Speaking at a ‘Meet the Press’ organised by Bangalore Reporters’ Guild and Press Club of Bangalore here, Mr. Kumarasway said it is the first time in history that COMEDK has gone ahead with allotting seats before the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), affecting the prospects of hundreds of poor and meritorious students.
He said private institutions had attempted to “bulldoze” him when he was Chief Minister in 2006, but he did not succumb. The lobby, which came into existence in early 2000 during the Congress tenure, had grown stronger in the last three years. He said it was ironical that Mr. Siddaramaiah, as Deputy Chief Minister in the J.H. Patel government, was instrumental in bringing in the present CET to help poor students.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said COMEDK had attempted to allot seats prior to KEA last year too. However, this was stalled after a few students approached the High Court.
He said the KEA, which had not announced counselling dates till Tuesday, suddenly put out information on the website on Tuesday night. This move, Mr. Kumarasway claimed, came after he began gathering vital information on the KEA.
He said he would wait for the government to act. “Otherwise, I will expose the government in the House during the budget session,” he warned.
