Bangalore: Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) today (July 9, 2004) demanded the resignation of the Dharam Singh Government on moral grounds in the wake of the allegation levelled by a former police official in a court here on the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam.

The party's State unit president, B Somashekar, speaking to reporters, charged the then Congress Government of being "facilitator" to the scam.

The former Assistant Commissioner of Police Sangram Singh, who was arrested by CBI in connection with the scandal, alleged yesterday that he was being made a "scape-goat" by former Chief Minister S M Krishna, Water Resources Minister M Mallikarjuna Kharge and former minister D K Shivakumar and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to "protect" former minister Roshan Baig.

Somashekar said Sangram Singh should be taken as "approver" in the case and the Court should convert his submissions as a PIL. Those named by him should be subjected to interrogation by the CBI, he demanded. Azad also should quit the Union cabinet, Somashekar added.

JD-U is also examining the possibility of filing a PIL of its own in the, he said.

On Sangram Singh's charge that he handed over Rs 20 crore to Rajnikant's manager in connection with release of Rajkumar from the custody of Veerappan, Somashekar said the matter should be investigated to find out the source of the money.

The then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi and Ranjikant owed an explanation in the matter, he said.