Wednesday, June 15 2005 15:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Ignoring protests from his own partymen, Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh today (Jun 15, 2005) sought to defend the objections raised by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to Metro Rail Project.

"Deve Gowda is not opposing the Metro Rail. His objections are only to some of the railway lines passing through some localities," he told reporters even as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Janardhana Poojary and few Congress MLAs attacked Gowda for his attempts to stall the project.

Trying to placate his coalition Government partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Singh said the Government would look into the issues raised by the former Prime Minister.

Denying that Metro Rail was a State project, he said "It is very much a Central project and State is only a party to it."

Gowda has come under fire from Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and media for opposing the Metro Rail project.

Singh denied media reports that he has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi pleading her not to axe him from the Chief Ministership holding him responsible for the Congress debacle in the recent by-elections in the State.

"I have not written any letter. I do not believe in letter politics. In my entire political career of forty years I have not done this," he said.