BENGALURU:
The President of the Contractors Association of Karnataka, Kempanna, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his office in Bengaluru on Saturday. Kempanna demanded that the pending bills of contractors be cleared within 30 days, or else the contractors would go on strike.
Kempanna, the President of the Contractor Association, stated that the contractors’ bills had been pending for over 5-6 months. In light of this issue, we recently had a meeting with the CM. He has assured us that the pending bills will be released as soon as possible. Officers, engineers, and BBMP commissioners have also been demanding payment, but we have not received any. The CM has promised to meet with the officers and has assured us that the pending bills will be cleared within this year. We have also requested that 50 percent of the bill be cleared this month, to which the CM has agreed.
Furthermore, an IT raid conducted on a contractor’s house in Karnataka on Friday revealed unaccounted money amounting to 42 crores. The contractor in question, R. Ambikapathy, is the vice-president of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Contractors Association and has been a prominent figure among the contractors who accused the previous BJP government of demanding a 40% commission from civil contractors. Former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan stated on Friday that the Congress party was using Karnataka as an ATM, collecting money from contractors for their own benefit in the five poll-bound states.
ಗುತ್ತಿಗೆದಾರರ ಸಂಘದ ನಿಯೋಗದವರು ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಯಾಗಿ ವಿವಿಧ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಚರ್ಚೆ ನಡೆಸಿದರು. pic.twitter.com/bdv1fRCwPj
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) October 14, 2023
MLA CN Aswath Narayan has reported that a staggering amount of Rs 42 crores in unaccounted money was discovered during an IT raid on a contractor’s premises. Interestingly, this very contractor had been vehemently accusing our government of corruption and alleging that the BJP was a government that received a 40 percent commission. It is quite ironic that the present government has been transformed into an ATM for the state, with plans to collect funds from contractors and utilize them for the Congress party in the upcoming five state elections.
The IT raid targeted the individual who had made these accusations against our government when it fell, only to reveal that this person is, in fact, a Congress agent. The JDs, our newfound ally, has also joined forces with the BJP in accusing the Congress of being synonymous with corruption.
The burning question remains: who is the rightful owner of the money discovered during the IT raid at the contractor’s residence? Whose burden is it to bear, this ill-gotten wealth? These are inquiries that demand answers.
Unfortunately, this is a recurring narrative that we have witnessed from the very beginning. If the Congress party assumes power in the state, it will undoubtedly be a grand feast for the high command. The same pattern continues to unfold, as Karnataka has been earmarked as a crucial battleground for the upcoming five-state elections. The Congress party is being held accountable for the consequences of their actions, as former Karnataka Chief Minister and JDs leader HD Kumaraswamy aptly stated, “This is the karma of the Kannadigas.” (ANI)
