Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, R Ashoka spar over 2019 report on corruption

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday rescinded his tweet on Thursday where he had said that it was Upa Lokayukta B Veerappa’s 2019 report that mentioned 63 per cent corruption in Karnataka and maintained that the charge was based on a report from 2019 when the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government was in power.

In a new statement on Friday, Siddaramaiah said Veerappa was quoting a 2019 Transparency International India report.

Siddaramaiah’s tweets were in response to an attack by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, who had played parts of Veerappa’s recent speech in a press conference on Thursday.

The chief minister shared a video clip on his X (formerly Twitter) account, where Veerappa told a national media house that he had spoken based on the Transparency International India 2019 report. 

“The BJP leaders, in their hurry to attack us, have only exposed their own record. From the 40% commission regime to COVID procurement scam, irrigation project illegalities, and cases where even their own workers levelled charges – BJP’s corruption track record needs no introduction,” he claimed. 

Ashoka hits back

Hitting back, Ashoka said the 2019 report was based on a survey done in 2018 when the Congress was in power.

“How many times will you repeat the same lie, CM@ Siddaramaiah avare? Yes, the report was released in 2019, but the survey was done for the previous year, 2018, when you were the chief minister and your @INCKarnataka govt was looting Karnataka. So, the 63% corruption figure you’re shouting about is actually a report card of your own argument, not ours,” he said.