‘Two years of BJP governance is marked by corruption scandals’

‘Instead of double-engine growth, we got maladministration’

The BJP government, which came to power through “defections”, completed two years in office with a long list of corruption scandals that dashed the hopes of good administration and the promise of a double-engine government for the State, alleged Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a double-engine government to the State, with the BJP in power both at the State and the Centre. But instead of that, what we got was a corrupt government and maladministration on all fronts, right from handling the pandemic to floods,” the Congress leader alleged.

Releasing a 64-page booklet on “corruption scandals and failures” of the BJP government both in Karnataka and at the Centre during the last two years, here on Thursday, Mr. Siddaramaiah claimed that BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa had been removed to control the damage to the government. Corruption was rampant in departments and officials had been writing to him on corruption cases in the government, he said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah alleged that funds meant for procurement of ventilators, beds, and management of COVID-19 had been siphoned off. More than two dozen people lost their lives owing to shortage of oxygen in Chamarajanagar. Byelections were conducted violating COVID-19 norms, which led to the second wave and death of many people, he alleged.

Opposing amendments made to the Land Reforms Act by the Yediyurappa government, he termed it as “a bigger scam than illegal mining” which took place in the State a decade ago. Under the BJP government, the cost of white-topping of Bengaluru roads had been increased from ₹10 crore to ₹14 crore per km, he said.

Corruption had been reported in transfer of officials and free egg distribution scheme meant for children of anganwadis in the Kalyan Karnataka region. He alleged that funds meant for nutrition of children were siphoned off. He condemned reduction in allocation of funds for SCs and STs, minorities, and backward regions of the State.

Fraud cases have been reported in handing over government land to private parties for formation of layouts, denotification of land by BDA and KIADB and other agencies. BJP leaders themselves claimed that the percentage of corruption in development projects had increased from 10 to 35, the Congress leader alleged.

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