Crack the whip, Prime Minister

No government can claim to be free from corruption, but Karnataka has clearly hit the nadir with civil works contractors lodging a complaint with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that too for the second time in the last few months, exposing the rot in public infrastructure projects. It is no secret that corruption is institutionalised and that up to 10% of the cost of any project is usually paid as a bribe. But the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association has alleged that the ‘commission’ has increased three-four-fold under the BJP regime: Around 30% to award contracts, and about 5-7% to clear bills for works completed. That the contractors have, by seeking the Prime Minister’s intervention, dared to antagonise the ruling politicians and the bureaucracy in the state at the risk of losing future projects can only be an indication of the rapaciousness they face and the intense pressure they are under from the ‘system’ in which they have themselves been willing accomplices for long.

The contractors, who have claimed that they are harassed for bribes by everyone from junior engineers right up to ministers, have stated that it is impossible to win a government contract without paying a bribe. They have also complained that the government is yet to clear bills to the tune of Rs 17,000 crore. They have alleged that this is due both to mismanagement and corruption -- the government awards tenders for works without assessing whether it has the funds to pay for them, and then officials withhold payments until the 5-7% commission demanded to clear bills is paid.

There is obviously no smoke without fire. Some time ago, the Income Tax department had raided some contractors and certain individuals said to be close to former CM Yediyurappa in connection with the alleged corruption in irrigation projects in North Karnataka. More recently, the whistle-blower in the bitcoin scam had, in his letter to the Prime Minister, mentioned that the e-tender portal of the Karnataka government was routinely hacked to ensure that tenders were awarded to preferred bidders in return for huge bribes paid to certain ruling party politicians.

When an industry body takes its complaint to no less than the Prime Minister himself, it is time to sit up and take note. Modi himself and the BJP have for long managed to successfully convince voters that only Congress and other opposition party politicians are corrupt while those in the BJP are all clean, patriotic politicians. The contractors’ letter has given the lie to such claims. Modi himself had claimed “Na khaoonga, na khanedoonga” (Neither will I indulge in corruption nor let anyone else do so). It is time to redeem that promise in Karnataka. Crack the whip, Prime Minister.

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