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Congress govt wants 5% cut to release bills: HD Kumaraswamy

According to Kumaraswamy, the 5% commission is in addition to the 40% cut that the previous BJP government was accused of demanding
Last Updated 10 June 2023, 15:46 IST

Former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday dropped a bombshell by accusing the Congress government of withholding Rs 675 crore payments to contractors in order to extract a commission.

"The Congress government has fixed 5 per cent as commission to release the letter of credit to contractors for works that have been completed," Kumaraswamy told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with party leaders.

According to Kumaraswamy, the 5 per cent commission is in addition to the 40 per cent cut that the previous BJP government was accused of demanding.

Kumaraswamy said the pending bills are for works carried out under the Nagarothana (city development) scheme. "On May 6 or 7, the LOC for an amount of Rs 675 crore was ready to be released. But at the time, one Congress MP asked officials not to release it saying his party is coming to power," the JD(S) leader claimed, adding that the money hasn't been released because the new government wants a cut.

Kumaraswamy also claimed that the Congress government is making money from transfers. He cited the example of one officer transferred by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and posted in a department whose minister is currently overseas. "The minister has asked the officer not to report to duty until he returns. How much did the officer pay for that posting?" he said, pointing out that the new government is not even a month old.

The JD(S) leader quipped that the transfer business was a 'Jyothi' scheme in itself. He even offered to retire from politics if a single officer were to accuse him of effective transfers in exchange for bribes.

Contractors' body to meet CM

Reacting to JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy's claim, Karnataka State Contractors Association president D Kempanna said that he has not received any complaint over 5 per cent commission being demanded. However, Kempanna confirmed that work bills have not been released. "We are meeting the CM regarding this on Monday," he said.

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(Published 10 June 2023, 15:46 IST)

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