Bengaluru, July 26 (UNI) Taking a dig at the completion of three years of BJP rule in the state, the Karnataka Congress on Tuesday said creating hatred has been its achievement while indulging in rampant corruption.
“One of the achievements of this government is that it has created hatred. During Basavaraj Bommai’s rule, it has been widespread. While BS Yediyurappa was trying to escape from the grip of RSS when he was the Chief Minister, Bommai is completely caught in its grip,” senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah told reporters in a joint press conference here. Other Congress leaders who attended the press conference were Karnataka party unit president DK Shivakumar and others.
These remarks were made ahead of BJP’s Janotsava (celebration of people) to be held at Doddaballapur on July 28, which would be inaugurated by the saffron party’s national president JP Nadda. Referring to the ban on the hijab, halal and Muslim traders from the premises of the temples across the state, Siddaramaiah said law and order have completely collapsed in the state. He said these issues were raised by him in the state assembly and warned the government of flight of in- vestments if these were not addressed to.
Siddaramaiah the people of the state have been betrayed as corruption was rampant under the BJP rule. The contractors are unable to undertake contract work as the government is asking 40 percent commission from them, he alleged.
“It has been one year since they wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to take action, but no action has been taken,” he said.“This is a zero-development government. Some asked me how many marks I would give to the Basavaraja Bommai government, to which I said I could only give zero,” Siddaramaiah said. He also said this is the first time in the history of the state that IAS and IPS officers have been arrested in the PSI examination scam and this cannot happen without the connivance of ministers and politicians.
This scam should be subjected to a judicial investigation to unearth the truth, but Bommai has tried to cover it up, Siddaramaiah said. “When Bommai came to power, there was hope and expectation that he would work differently be- cause he has a Janata Party background. But his administration in the last year has been a complete disillusionment. Under Bommai’s rule, there was an unheard of corruption in the history of Karnataka,” he said.
Siddaramaiah alleged that Santosh Patil, a contractor, committed suicide after not being able to pay the 40 percent commission. “He committed suicide by writing a death note saying that the minister had not released the money because the commission had not been given after the work had been completed,” he said. After the Congress fightback, minister KS Eshwarappa had to resign, but the police have given him a clean chit, which proves that the police have protected the minister.
