Corruption doubled under Congress govt: Karnataka contractors' body

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) has said in writing that corruption in several departments under the ruling Congress has “doubled” compared with the previous BJP regime, a sensational charge that could become a setback for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government.

The KSCA conveyed this in a letter, dated September 25, to Siddaramaiah, detailing corrupt practices taking place in the government.

“When you were leader of the opposition, you told us that after you came to power, no commission (kickback) would be sought by your government to clear pending bills. We regret to inform you that the commission has doubled now compared with the previous government,” the KSCA stated in a letter signed by its president R Manjunath and general secretary G M Ravindra.

Government institutions like Nirmiti Kendra and the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (KRIDL) award projects to the “followers” of elected representatives and party workers, the KSCA said. “These followers and workers then hand over their projects to senior contractors in exchange for a cut. It’s difficult for us senior contractors to ensure quality when works are sub-contracted to us like this,” it said.

This is the first time the KSCA has, in writing, flagged large-scale corruption in the Congress government. Earlier, Manjunath had orally accused the Congress of being more corrupt.

In July 2021, when the BJP was in power, the KSCA wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining that contractors were forced to pay a cut to ministers, elected representatives, and officials. This gave birth to the viral ‘40% commission’ allegation, which helped the Congress push the BJP to a corner and contributed to the saffron party’s defeat in the 2023 Assembly polls.

“We’d like to bring to your notice that it was our fight against corruption that played some role in your government coming to power,” the KSCA stated.

The KSCA has been pursuing the Congress government for pending bills worth Rs 32,000 crore. You've been giving us assurances and directing officials to act. Out of our respect for you, we’ve so far been patient with the hope that you would solve our problem,” the letter stated. “But until now, we have had no benefit from your government.”

According to the KSCA, departments are not following seniority when it comes to clearing pending bills. “Instead, they are deploying their own formula to give special lines of credit (LOC) to contractors, and only 15-20% of the pending bill amount is being cleared once in three months,” the letter stated.

The KSCA has also accused the departments of municipal administration, urban development, and labour of corrupt tender practices. “Officials are exceeding their brief by converting tenders into packages so that they are awarded to powerful contractors of their choice,” the association stated, adding that the concerned ministers are not doing anything to stop it.