Bengaluru, Dec 5 (IANS) Responding to Karnataka BJP demanding a CBI probe against the Congress-led government over Upalokayukta’s ’63 per cent corruption’ claim, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has replied that by raising the issue, the BJP party has exposed itself.

Siddaramaiah stated that in the report submitted in November 2019, Hon’ble Upalokayukta B. Veerappa had stated that 63 per cent of corruption existed in the state.

“Speaking today, B. Veerappa referred to that very same report. At the time he submitted the report, the state was under the BJP government led by Yediyurappa. But today, R. Ashoka, without correctly understanding the Upalokayukta’s statement, tried to tie the BJP’s sins onto our heads — and in doing so, ended up exposing himself,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that the corruption scams that occurred during the BJP’s tenure are not one or two, adding that even when people were dying on the streets during the Covid pandemic, shameless looting took place in everything — ventilators, masks, sanitisers, ICU equipment, and more.

“In every department, a minimum 40 per cent commission system was in practice. Contractors like Santosh Patil from Belagavi, unable to bear the harassment from then-minister Eshwarappa, were driven to suicide,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said that massive irregularities occurred in the Irrigation Department, including in the Bhadra Upper Bank Project and the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam, involving almost Rs 20,000 crore in corruption allegations made directly by your own party’s MLC H. Vishwanath against B.Y. Vijayendra, who is today your state party president.

He said that in the PSI recruitment scam, many of your close associates ended up in jail.

“Have you forgotten all this? If we start listing all the scams during the BJP era, one could compile an entire epic,” he said.

“What should be said about R. Ashoka’s foolishness in trying to apply the statements of Hon. B. Veerappa to our government? In our administration, from recruitment to transfers, efforts are underway to ensure complete transparency and prevent any misuse of money or power,” he said.

–IANS

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