Ganesh S. Koundinya, a whistleblower behind the expose of various housing-related scams, has now come out in the open claiming his life is in danger. His supporter and associate Congress leader Mahima J. Patel has said that he too has been threatened.
The two until now had preferred to stay behind the scenes. But on Tuesday they called mediapersons and informed them that they had submitted a complaint to the Police Commissioner.
In the complaint they alleged that they received threatening calls from three unknown landline numbers (080-41280369, 080-41672392, 080-23129307) on Sunday.
Mr. Patel and Mr. Koundinya are joint complainants in a Public Interest Litigation petition seeking the quashing of a government order that legalised allotment of housing society sites to non-members. The caller allegedly tried to pressure the two into withdrawing the High Court case.
Mr. Koundinya was the source behind the series of reports in these columns exposing the alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites and luxury apartments to the former Lokayukta Shivraj V. Patil, the former Lokayukta nominee S.R. Bannurmath, Upa Lokayukta Chadrasekharaiah, the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and his sons, Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and his daughter, Congress leader D.K. Shivkumar, State Medical Education Minister S.A. Ramdas, the former Minister S.N. Krishnaiah Setty, BJP leader G. Prasad Reddy, Labour Minister Bache Gowda and his daughter as well as the former minister V. Sommana and his son.
Asked why he remained behind the scenes until now, Mr. Koundinya said, “I did not want to divert public attention by bringing focus to myself. I do not have any political ambitions and have no need for publicity. But now I feel that my only safety is in coming out in the open.”
Asked to respond to the list of Congress leaders who also figure in the list of illegal site allotees, Mr. Patel said, “I would have exposed my own family members if they had done something wrong.” He said that he is “not scared” of a backlash from the Congress high command. “I have nothing against any individual. There are corrupt people in every party and it is time to cleanse the system,” he said.
