CP Yogeshwar must go: Congress to govt

A delegation of Congress leaders met governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj on Tuesday and requested him to direct the chief minister to drop forest minister CP Yogeshwar from the cabinet.

G Parameshwar, president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, led the delegation. It drew the governor’s attention to the report of Fraud Investigation Office (FRIO), coming under the Union ministry of company affairs, which has recommended criminal prosecution of Yogeshwar in a case of alleged fraud by Megacity Developers and Builders Ltd.

The company had collected huge funds, promising allotment of sites around Bangalore. Yogeshwar was the managing director of the company, which was floated in 1994. The Congress delegation’s memorandum read that the company had enrolled 9,600 members and collected about Rs71 crore, out of which Rs37 crore were siphoned off through forgery. The sites did not materialise and the amount was not returned to most depositors.

Further, the Congress leaders highlighted that FRIO report had recommended criminal prosecution of Yogeshwar on charges of forgery, cheating and misappropriation of Rs25 crore.

Parameshwar said the minister had no moral right to continue in office and urged the governor to direct the chief minister to drop him from the ministry.