Karnataka BJP chief R Ashoka on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, following allegations by the Karnataka State Contractors Affiliation that the fee menace has continued unhinged below the Congress rule.
“When in Opposition, Siddaramaiah and DyCM D Okay Shivakumar shouted about “40% fee.” As we speak, below their rule, contractors themselves have uncovered that the speed has doubled – Karnataka has grow to be an 80% fee authorities!,” Ashoka, the Chief of the Opposition, mentioned in a publish on X.
This got here within the wake of a letter by the affiliation to Siddaramaiah, urging him to clear pending dues to contractors and contending that “fee has doubled now in comparison with the earlier authorities”. Subsequently, representatives of the Fee had gone again on the allegations, saying they had been solely searching for clearance of pending payments.
In his publish, Ashoka requested why the ministers named within the letter had not come ahead to disclaim the fees. “Why is the CM silent when the state’s popularity is being dragged via the mud? Why are tasks like Bidadi Township getting used as a pretext for illicit actual property offers and acquisition of fertile farmers’ land?” he mentioned.
Calling it a peak of betrayal, the BJP chief mentioned that as a substitute of transparency, Congress has solely delivered harassment, loot, and backdoor corruption. “If CM Siddaramaiah has even a shred of dignity left, he should resign instantly. Karnataka can’t afford this openly corrupt Congress regime anymore,” he mentioned.
The affiliation letter dated September 25 had additionally alleged that tenders of varied tasks had been being bagged by followers of elected representatives and Congress employees. These individuals, it mentioned, subcontracted these tasks to senior contractors in change for cuts. This could have an effect on the standard of labor carried out within the state, the affiliation had mentioned.