Bangalore, Sep 6 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Monday alleged that the family members of former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda were involved in illegal mining in the state.

Yeddyurappa also accused Gowda's son and former Karnataka chief minister H. D. Kumaraswamy of granting mining license to 10 companies after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had withdrawn support to his government in October 2007.

Among these, three companies are owned by Kumaraswamy's brothers H. D. Balakrishna Gowda and H. D. Ramesh.

Yeddyurappa leveled the charges against Gowda and his family at a press conference in Gulbarga, about 600 kms from here. The chief minister is in the district to campaign his party nominee in the South Gulbarga assembly bypoll due on Sep 13.

Within an hour of Yeddyurappa accusing the Gowda family, Kumaraswamy who is also in Gulbarga campaigning for his party nominee in the bypoll, challenged the chief minister to arrest his brothers by evening.

'If the companies owned by my brothers are involved in any illegal activity, let Yeddyurappa arrest him by this evening instead of leveling allegations. Or else he should apologise,' Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Kumaraswamy, president of the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), said he had also advised his brothers to file a defamation case against Yeddyurappa for levelling false charges.

He denied he had acted illegally in granting mining licenses to 10 companies. 'Why mining licenses, let there be probe into all my acts during my chief ministership,' he said.

Kumaraswamy had formed a coalition government with Yeddyurappa as his deputy in 2006. Since he did not honour the undetstanding of handing over chief minister's post to Yeddyurappa after 20 months, the BJP withdrew support and polls were held in April-May 2008, a year ahead of schedule. The BJP came to power for the first time in the state - and in south India - after the polls.