'Fake' TA bills: Council Chairman issues notice to eight MLCs

Legislative Council chairman D H Shankaramurthy has served notices to eight MLCs, including six belonging to the Congress, in connection with charges that they claimed about Rs 17 lakh as travel allowance (TA) by reportedly submitting fake bills.

The chairman has given time to the MLCs till June 3 to explain their stand on the charges. BJP leader in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Padmanabha Reddy had recently complained to the Chairman and urged him to disqualify these members.

The notice has been issued to Allum Veerabhadrappa, Raghu Achar, N S Boseraju, S Ravi, R B Thimmapura (all Congress), C R Manohar and Appaji Gouda (both JD-S) and M D Lakshminarayana (Independent).

The ruling Congress has cried foul and accused the chairman of trying to scuttle its plan to move a no-confidence motion against him. But Shankaramurthy denied the Congress’ charges. “I received the complaint on May 24. The notice was issued on May 26 and the Congress members submitted a notice seeking to move the no-confidence motion on May 31. So my issuing the notice has nothing to do with the no-confidence motion. I am only following the rule of natural justice by seeking their explanation.”

The Congress, which is the single largest party in the Upper House, has decided to oust Shankaramurthy and install its own person as the Chairman. The party has 35 MLCs, including three associate members, in the 75-member House. The party is short of only three members to prove a majority, and is hopeful of getting the JD(S) support. Shankaramurthy is only trying to scare off the Congress from going ahead with the no-confidence motion by threatening to disqualify some of its members, sources in the Council secretariat said.

Padmanabha Reddy had in his complaint said that the eight MLCs had voted in the Bengaluru mayoral elections claiming that they were residents of Bengaluru. However, these MLCs have reportedly drawn close to Rs 17 lakh as the travel allowance from the Council secretariat claiming that they reside in various towns outside Bengaluru. He had also demanded criminal action against these MLCs.