Bengaluru: A fresh political confrontation erupted on Thursday after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly rebutted the BJP’s allegations based on a recent remark by Upa Lokayukta B. Veerappa. The CM accused the BJP of “misinterpreting” the official’s statement and “trying to tie their own sins around our neck.”
The controversy began after Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka shared a post on X, citing Upa Lokayukta Veerappa’s comments made at a book release event. Responding sharply, Siddaramaiah said Veerappa was referring to the 2019 November report which stated that Karnataka had 63% corruption at the time.
“The honourable Upa Lokayukta only reiterated what he had recorded in his 2019 report. At that time, Yediyurappa-led BJP government was in power. Without understanding the context, the BJP tried to hold us responsible for their sins and ended up embarrassing themselves,” the CM stated.
Escalating his counterattack, Siddaramaiah accused the previous BJP government of presiding over “unprecedented corruption,” especially during the Covid-19 crisis. “When people were dying on the roads during the pandemic, the BJP shamelessly looted money meant for ventilators, masks, sanitisers and ICU procurement,” he alleged.
The CM also recalled several high-profile corruption cases that surfaced during the previous administration. “Every department was functioning with at least 40% commission. Contractor Santosh Patil died by suicide after accusing then minister Eshwarappa of harassment.
Massive irregularities took place in the Bhadra Upper Bank and Cauvery Neeravari Nigam projects, amounting to nearly ₹20,000 crore. BJP MLC H. Vishwanath himself accused today’s state BJP president Vijayendra directly,” Siddaramaiah said.
He further pointed to the infamous PSI recruitment scandal, where several officers and political associates were arrested. “If we start listing out BJP-era scams, it would take an entire volume,” he remarked.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan “Na khaaoonga, na khaane doonga,” Siddaramaiah said that India’s global corruption ranking speaks for itself. “Under the Prime Minister who claims zero tolerance for corruption, India is sinking deeper.
According to Transparency International, India stands at 96th position in the global corruption index. Ashoka should first question his ‘Pradhan Sevak’ about this shameful situation,” he said.
The issue has once again intensified the ongoing political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the BJP, with both parties trading corruption charges ahead of the winter session.
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