Chief minister admitted to 'corruption' in state, says Ananth Kumar

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar has said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has endorsed the BJP’s contention that there is rampant corruption and maladministration in Karnataka.

Addressing a meeting of BJP leaders and workers here on Saturday, Kumar said that Siddaramaiah while addressing top bureaucrats at the Vidhana Soudha recently had wondered whether there was a semblance of governance in the state.

The union minister said, “Siddaramaiah himself had said that the Centre’s funds for supplying drinking water in drought-hit districts went unutilised. The districts included Mysuru, Hassan, Chitradurga, Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural. Out of the Rs 141 crore released, just Rs 28 crore has been spent. Deputy commissioners would be held responsible for such lapses, he had said.”

Siddaramaiah, according to Kumar, also noted that sub-registrar offices have turned into a den of corruption.

Even to effect a small change in a person’s name, bribe has to be paid. Out of 140 letters written to officials from his (chief minister’s) office, hardly 19 received replies, Kumar quoted the chief minister as saying.

The Union minister then sardonically remarked that it was not the BJP talking about lapses in administration but the chief minister himself.

The prime minister released Rs 2,500 crore in two instalments as crop loan relief but the funds remain unused, Kumar suggested. He stressed that the chief minister’s comments on his own government should be conveyed to the people so that they could judge his performance.