Punish CM: Cong

The opposition Congress on Tuesday said that it will petition the Election Commission seeking action against Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy for filing a "false affidavit" while contesting the 2004 assembly elections.

The petition seeking action under Section 125a of the Representation of Peoples Act 1951 will be filed before the state chief electoral officer on Wednesday, opposition Congress leader in the state assembly N Dharam Singh and KPCC president M Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters here.

Both the leaders alleged that Kumaraswamy while filing an affidavit under Section 33a to contest the Ramanagaram assembly seat had declared that he owned 24 acres of land, but records showed that he had 46 acres of land at Kethiganahally village in Ramangaram taluk.

"Concealing of facts in the sworn affidavit is a crime punishable under law," the leaders said and added that the party will also seek Kumaraswamy's disqualification from his assembly membership.

Section 125a stipulates that any person filing false affidavit will attract criminal charges and the offence is punishable with imprisonment up to six months or fine or both.

Singh, a former chief minister, asked JDS chief H D Deve Gowda what he will do as a few days ago the former prime minister had declared that he will slit his throat if anyone proved that he or any of his family members owned land in and around the controversial Bangalore-Mysore infrastructure corridor project,"in the light of his son Kumaraswamy's revelation that he owns land."