Will expose Congress govt if they demand commission, says Karnataka contractors' body

Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) president D Kempanna on Friday said he would “expose” the Congress government if demands are made by its ministers, lawmakers or officers to pay cuts or a commission.

A delegation led by Kempanna met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and demanded the release of pending bills to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore.

This meeting came days after former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai asked Kempanna to speak up on rates being fixed by ministers.

“It's been just one month (since this government came). So far, nobody has come to us with demands for money. If they do, then we will expose it. We are not afraid. We’re ready to expose and I'll be the first man to do that,” Kempanna told reporters.

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Slamming Bommai, Kempanna said: “For three years, we haggled and requested...we weren’t even allowed inside his office.”

When the BJP was in power, the KSCA went public with its allegation that contractors were forced to pay up to 40 per cent commission. This helped the Congress weave an elaborate narrative on corruption against the BJP.

Asked about submitting evidence for its ‘40% commission’ charge, Kempanna said the Association would do that “when the right time comes”. He insisted that his meeting with Siddaramaiah was only to discuss the release of pending bills.

CM seeks time

Contractors have to wait longer for the release of pending bills worth Rs 20,000 crore as Siddaramaiah said he needs more time to "fix" financial indiscipline and the commission menace.

Siddaramaiah's priority now is to set aside money in his July 7 budget to implement the Congress' five guarantees. He told the KSCA that he would review the demand for payment of pending bills after the budget.

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Bills are pending in the departments of public works, water resources, RDPR and the BBMP. Contractors have to get Rs 2,000 crore from the BBMP alone.

In one petition, the KSCA asked Siddaramaiah to ensure transparency in bill payments. The body also demanded scrapping the package system in which multiple works are bundled up. This is done to help contractors from other states, the KSCA argued. The KSCA also asked the government to close the notorious KRIDL.

In another petition, the KSCA urged Siddaramaiah to lift the freeze on ongoing works worth Rs 20,000 crore. "This has pushed contractors into financial difficulty," it said.