Karnataka contractors' body accuse BJP minister of taking bribes, CM Basavaraj Bommai denies allegation

The Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA), which made the sensational claim that they have to pay 40 per cent cuts in public works, upped the ante Wednesday by identifying a BJP minister of corruption.

KSCA president D Kempanna publicly accused Horticulture minister Munirathna of collecting bribes. This is the first instance of someone in power being identified by Kempanna and his association.

Speaking to a news channel, Munirathna denied the allegation. “If they can’t prove it, I will sue for defamation,” the minister said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, too, rubbished the allegation.

Kempanna made the allegation after leading a delegation of contractors to meet Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah.

“The minister in charge of Kolar district has threatened the executive engineer with suspension if money isn’t collected,” Kempanna said, referring to Munirathna without naming him. “In Rajarajeshwari Nagar (whose MLA is Munirathna), Rs 10,000 crore has been spent. What improvement has been done?” he asked, adding that elected representatives “should be ashamed of looting public money”.

In July 2021, the KSCA had written to PM Modi with a complaint that they have to pay up to ‘40 per cent commission’ to MLAs and ministers. This gave the Congress ammunition to fire at the BJP government.

Kempanna said his association would write to PM Modi again. “We're writing to the PM again, appreciating him for calling corruption as the nation's first enemy. We will remind him of our complaint. He's working for the poor. We will forward our letter to him again in the next 15 days,” Kempanna said.

The KSCA has demanded a judicial inquiry. “Let them jail us if we can’t prove our allegation of 40 per cent commission. Only if there’s a judicial inquiry will we release documents. We want to safeguard the interests of our contractors,” he insisted, adding that some contractors are being targeted by officers for coming out with documents.

“Some ministers are trying to break our association. But, we’ll continue our fight against 40 per cent corruption,” Kempanna said.

Asked if they have faith in Bommai, Kempanna said the CM’s words are not translating into action. “He's a good man. But, officials don't respect him.”

The KSCA urged Siddaramaiah to support their fight against corruption. Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah demanded a judicial inquiry. “They also told me that bills worth Rs 22,000 crore are pending,” he said.

‘Let them approach Lokayukta’

Bommai said the KSCA is not the only outfit representing contractors. “There are many others,” he said. “There’s no basis to the allegations. [Kempanna] made the allegations after meeting Siddaramaiah, so you need to understand.”

Bommai asked the KSCA to provide specific details. “If they have specifics, they can approach the Lokayukta,” he said.

He pointed out that his government had taken measures after the KSCA met him in April this year. “Karnataka is the only state where a retired judge is heading a tender scrutiny committee,” Bommai said.