Mysuru: Declaring that he would shortly come up with highly sensitive information and explosive news in connection with Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) row, former KSOU and University of Mysore (UoM) Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa has rubbished former Chief Minister Dr. M. Veerappa Moily’s recent remarks indirectly targeted at him.
Addressing a press meet at a private hotel here this morning, Prof. Rangappa said that Dr. Moily, in an indirect reference to him, had said at a press meet in the city that a former VC of KSOU had indulged in rampant corruption and looted money.
Although the former CM had not named him, Prof. Rangappa asserted that Moily’s remarks were targeted at him and as such he was inviting him to join an open debate and also undergo a lie detector test to discover the truth.
Accusing Moily of acting at the behest of some who were inimical to him (Rangappa), the former VC said that Moily, being a former Chief Minister, a former Union Minister and current Lok Sabha MP should have got his facts correct before making such allegations.
Reminding Moily of his visit to KSOU years ago, Prof. Rangappa said that as the KSOU VC then, he (Rangappa) had facilitated his stay in the KSOU Guest House when Moily was scripting a book. After going around the campus, Dr. Moily had expressed delight then and had even complimented Rangappa for the pains he had taken to develop the Open University. “But I cannot understand what transpired Moily now to make baseless charges of corruption and loot. Perhaps Moily may have been influenced by people who were against me, now that I have joined politics,” Prof. Rangappa observed.
Dismissing all allegations of corruption in KSOU when he was at the helm of the University, Prof. Rangappa claimed that a CID probe ordered by the Government, had not found him guilty of the charges. Also, several other probes initiated by the then government and the Governor-Chancellor against him did not find any wrong-doings by him, he said.
Asserting that as VC, he acted very much in accordance with the guidelines of the Indian Universities Act, he said that he was ready to face any further probe and that he was not scared of anything.
Reiterating his challenge to Moily, Prof. Rangappa said he was ready to take on Moily and others who have levelled charges, for a face-to-face debate, in which he will rebut all the charges, point-by-point.
Prof. Rangappa, who is the JD(S) nominee for the Chamaraja Constituency said that he is being targeted more of late after he entered politics last year. Expressing confidence that he will come out clean in any probe, he said that he has reached international level because of his own strength and not due to any other factors.
The KSOU row over non-recognition, will be solved in three months if the JD(S) was elected to power in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
This post was published on March 1, 2018 6:40 pm