Karnataka: Yediyurappa government's achievement in one year is zero, says Congress

The opposition Congress alleged the BJP government in Karnataka was directionless in its one year in office and had not fulfilled promises made to people. State Congress president D K Shivakumar also repeated the charge of corruption and loot" in purchase of equipment for managing Covid-19 pandemic by the government led by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, a charge rejected by the latter.

There was 'lack' of coordination among Ministers. "This is a directionless government, they lack direction in everything... The government has completely failed, the corruption has gone to the peak," he told reporters here. He dubbed as "a chain of lies" the list of achievements released by the government and said it had not been able to fulfil the promises made to people.

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The government's achievement so far was 'zero', he said adding the ruling party can say it has completed one year in office, won bye-elections and carried out well "operation Lotus", a reference to defections allegedly engineered by the BJP to topple the Congress-JDS government last year.

Yediyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister for the fourth time on July 26, 2019, three days after the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) government led by H D Kumaraswamy that lost the trust vote after a section of the ruling combine MLAs raised a banner of revolt.

The KPCC president said his party will go to the "people's court" on the government's "failures and corruption". Reiterating the party's allegation of "loot" of about Rs 2,000 crore in purchase of equipment and supplies related to Covid-19, Shivakumar also demanded that the government give the list of people who were given cash relief during lockdown totalling to about Rs 1,600 crore as stated by it.

"As an opposition party we have demanded a wite paper, is that wrong? Is it wrong to question your corruption and seek answers? Your Ministers have indulged in corruption in various departments," he alleged.

Congress and its legislature party leader Siddaramaiah had recently alleged that the total expenditure of the government relating to Covid was Rs 4,167 crore of which at least Rs 2,000 crore was pocketed by ministers and officials, a charge rejected by the government.

Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the then Congress government as 10 per cent (commission) government during the 2018 assembly poll campaign, Shivakuamr said, "....do you know what percentage it has gone to in corona purchase?"

"I want the honourable Prime Minister to intervene...look at what other states have purchased and at what price the Centre has purchased (Covid equipment)," he said. He demanded an inquiry into the alleged misappropriation and corruption and said it can also look into graft charges levelled against the previous JDS-Congress rule by BJP ministers now.