Karnataka CM forms ministerial crack team on BJP scams

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Septembewr 11, 2024: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has formed a ministerial committee to review the progress of investigations into various scams that occurred during the previous BJP government.

Headed by Home Minister G Parameshwara, the committee has Law Minister H K Patil, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge and Labour Minister Santhosh Lad as members.

The CM has asked the committee to complete its task within two months.

The Siddaramaiah administration is under immense pressure to turn the tables against the BJP on the issue of corruption, with the saffron party hammering the ruling Congress over scams at the Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation and the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). It is also said that the Congress high command has nudged its state government to ‘expose’ corruption when the BJP was in power.

“The committee will review all scams that occurred when the BJP was in power. We’ve started our work. We’ve made a list of 20-25 scams. We’re reviewing further action that’s needed in each case,” Parameshwara said. “We shouldn’t be doing vendetta politics, a stand that comes across as having a soft corner. But when they (BJP) are doing vendetta politics, we also have to reply appropriately,” Parameshwara added.

After assuming power, the Congress government set up three judicial commissions to investigate corruption allegations during the Covid period (Justice Cunha Commission), 40% commission allegations (Justice Nagamohan Das Commission) and the PSI recruitment scam (Justice Veerappa Commission). An SIT was formed to look into the Bitcoin scam.

While the Justice Veerappa Commission submitted its 471-page report in January, the Justice Cunha Commission submitted its 1,722 page interim report on August 31.