On Thursday, the Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot met with the delegation of Karnataka Congress leaders and urged for invoking President's rule for 'failure' of constitutional machinery in the state by the ruling BJP.
The delegation led by state President D.K. Shivakumar and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah submitted a memorandum in this regard. The memorandum said, "The people of Karnataka are shocked to know from the Karnataka State Contractors Association, which is a registered body, having about 1 lakh contractors' membership, that there is a rampant corruption in various departments such as Public Works, Minor and Major Irrigation, Panchayath Raj, Health and Medical Education and BBMP among others."
"For every work, the contractors have to pay more than 40 per cent commission to some of the concerned Ministers, Legislators, Lok Sabha members and other officials of the concerned departments. This is nothing but a bribe as for the provisions of law," the memorandum said. All these 'facts' have been stated by the said association in their memorandum dated 6 July, 2021 submitted to the Prime Minister and appealed for proper remedial measures on this huge scam.
"The Prime Minister has become silent about this rampant corruption amounting to several thousand crores and by not initiating any action on the Karnataka government even after lapse of more than 4 months from the submission of the above said memorandum by the Contractors Association," it read.
"The non-action by the Prime Minister and other concerned authorities really causes a lot of panic, anxiety in the minds of law abiding citizens of our country, more particularly citizens of Karnataka," Shivakumar stated.
"However, out of the total state's budgeted money released by the Government of Karnataka for any project, more than 40 per cent goes to paying bribes to the concerned, 12 to 28 per cent as GST, 5 to 6 per cent as EMD and FST," he said.
"If the Contractor raises a loan to carry out any such project work he has to pay at least 12 per cent interest on the investment. In such a situation what will be left for the Contractor to complete the work," Shiva Kumar questioned.
"There is also concern about law and order issues in the State where the Chief Minister has openly expressed his inability to control reaction by few fringe elements. Communal violence has increased under the current government. It is not democracy but anarchy that has become the system in the State," Siddaramaiah stated.
"These facts and circumstances clearly shows and establish that there is rampant corruption, maladministration in the State of Karnataka; which has caused loss of several thousand crores to exchequer and the same has been swallowed by some of the Ministers, MLA's MP's and Officials and therefore it is proper to clamp the President's Rule in Karnataka," he added.
-With PTI Inputs
