Bommai asks pontiff for proof on commission charge

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday urged Lingayat pontiff Dingaleshwar Swamy to give proof for his statement that mutts have to pay a 30 per cent cut to get government grants.

The seer’s remarks caused embarrassment to the BJP government which is already facing the brunt of corruption allegations.

“He’s a great swami with a big track record. I request His Holiness to give the entire proof — who, where, when, to whom and how much — and we will certainly have it probed comprehensively,” Bommai said.

The government, Bommai said, has taken the seer’s allegation seriously. “But, instead of a sweeping remark, let him give us details. We will go the depth of it,” he said.

On Sunday, while speaking at a public event at Badagandi in Bilgi taluk of Bagalkot district the Dingaleshwar seer lamented that corruption was so rampant that it did not spare even mutts.

Also read: Corruption exists everywhere: H D Deve Gowda

“It has come to a stage where even mutts need to pay a 30 per cent cut to receive government grants,” the seer had said.

“Works can start only after the (kickback) percentage is subtracted from the grants. Officials tell us that our work won’t happen if a certain sum of money isn’t subtracted,” the pontiff had claimed.

The Congress latched on to the pontiff’s statement and attacked the BJP government on corruption. Congress is already targeting the government on the ‘40 per cent commission’ charged levelled by the Karnataka State Contractors Association. This was amplified further by the death of contractor Santosh Patil, which forced senior BJP lawmaker KS Eshwarappa to resign as a minister last week.

“It’s a shame that the BJP, which projects itself as the saviour of Dharma, is charging a 30 per cent commission to release grants to mutts and temples. But, why give a 10 percentage point discount? Eat that also,” Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said in a tweet. “What sort of protection to Dharma is this when you ask for a commission from God as well?”

Additional ragi procurement

Bommai announced that the government will procure an additional 1.14 lakh metric tonnes of ragi from farmers under MSP. This will cost Rs 487 crore.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on MSP operations.

“We’ve already produced procured 2.1 lakh metric tonnes of ragi. But, there was pressure from farmers to procure more,” he said.

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