BENGALURU:
According to JDS sources, transfer business means that the transfer of an officer is either effected or stopped after paying the bribe.Referring to the issue of tackling corruption in the state as mentioned by the Governor in his address to the joint session of the House, Kumaraswamy said the Congress, which was then in oppossion during BJP tenure, had brought out an advertisement regarding the recruitment, transfer and posting rates.
JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday claimed there was a ‘rate chart’ pertaining to the ‘transfer business’ in Karnataka and appealed to the ruling Congress government to rectify it.
During discussion on Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s address to the joint session of both Houses of the State Legislature, Kumaraswamy also challenged the government to prove its pre-poll allegations against the BJP that they looted the state to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
The JD(S) leader has been claiming that a ‘cash-for-transfer business’ is going on in the state. According to JD(S) sources, transfer business means that the transfer of an officer is either effected or stopped after paying the bribe.
Referring to the issue of tackling corruption in the state as mentioned by the Governor in his address to the joint session of the House, Kumaraswamy said the Congress, which was then in oppossion during BJP tenure, had brought out an advertisement regarding the recruitment, transfer and posting rates. ”I will support your sincere effort to contain corruption and rectify these evil practices. Earlier you (Congress) brought out advertisements (before elections) pointing to the rate fixed for transfer and posting but now a new rate has been fixed,” the JD(S) second-in-command claimed in the House.
He also waved a paper showing the ‘rate chart’, which he claimed was given to him by an officer. Interrupting Kumaraswamy, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge said that the allegations about the transfer and posting rates were based on a statement by the then ruling BJP MLA. The Minister also said that he has evidence for it. To this BJP MLA C N Ashwath Narayan challenged the Minister to furnish the proof. He also claimed that he has evidence on corruption in Kharge’s departments. Kharge then challenged Narayan to expose it. The arguments led to a commotion for a while. Kumaraswamy said there cannot be any proof on such corrupt practices. The JD(S) leader also said a solar power agreement done in 2017 burdened people with heavy power tariff. ”The Power Purchase Agreement for solar power was at the rate of Rs 9.6 per unit for a period of 25 years,” Kumaraswamy said.
When the opposition BJP sought to know in whose period the agreement was done, he said Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will tell them. Shivakumar was the Energy Minister in 2017 during Congress government.
Kumaraswamy said he had raised the matter in the House in 2017, following which the House Committee was formed to probe why the agreement was made for 25 years but nothing happened. ”A CBI inquiry will reveal the truth. The state would have got power for a cheaper price but it opted for higher price. Ultimately, poor people have to bear the brunt of it,” the JD(S) leader claimed. He also said that before the revision of tariff by the Karnataka Electricity Regulation Commission, there were 35 slabs, which were brought down to 21. The slabs for extremely poor and poor people have been removed and now there are only domestic consumers. It’s effect would be felt later, Kumaraswamy said.PTI
