Another funds tornado hits Congress

MYSORE: It is a double whammy for the Karnataka Congress. Even as the party is yet to recover from the embarrassing revelation of misuse of funds mobilized for flood victims, party leaders in Mysore are accusing each other of fabricating figures on the amount collected for victims of the 2004 tsunami disaster.
While Congress MLA Tanveer Sait has put the total amount collected at Rs 1.83 lakh, current Mysore district unit chief C Dase Gowda pegged it at Rs 1.2 lakh and the person then at the helm of affairs Made Gowda claimed a meagre amount of Rs 13,567.Dase Gowda has virtually accused Made Gowda of siphoning off the funds.
Dase Gowda said Made Gowda, while handing over charge to him, had admitted to collecting Rs 1.2 lakh. ``I told him then that it was wrong not to have utilized the funds for which it was collected. Now, he claims they collected Rs 13,567 which he deposited in the party's account in the bank. The money he deposited is the party's funds, not donations collected from the public. He is trying to mislead the people,'' he told reporters in Mysore on Saturday.
With these men are quarrelling over the amount and washing dirty linen in public, exasperated party workers demanded their expulsion from the party.
KPCC president R V Despande, who is himself in a bit of spot for spending flood donations for air fare, T-shirts and publicity material, returned from New Delhi after apprising the high command about the matter. He said: ``I'm not aware of this (Mysore incident). I was out of the state and no one from Mysore has contacted me on this.''
Deshpande said he met AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. ``I asked the AICC to conduct an inquiry into the issue as we should be above suspicion since it involves donors, victims and the public. The Congress is an old party with a good reputation. The entire episode has been done to tarnish my image as well as that of the party.''
Regarding the inquiry he ordered to be conducted by former MP N Y Hanumanthappa, the KPCC chief said he was awaiting for orders from the high command.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com