Karnataka: Ruling Congress, BJP fight over contractors' pending dues
What's the story
The Congress's Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has come under fire from the opposition for allegedly holding up payments to civil contractors in the state. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular), and some contractors have claimed Deputy CM DK Shivakumar's proposal to review all works was a tactful ploy by the Congress to collect commissions from contractors.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Amid contractors' demands for the release of payments, CM Siddaramaiah maintained that a judicial investigation into allegations of "40% commission" taken by the previous BJP government is already underway. The allegations were made by the Karnataka State Contractors Association, Bengaluru, in 2021. Meanwhile, ex-CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai has reached out to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking his intervention in resolving the matter.
Details
Shivakumar's proposal to revisit civil works halted payments
According to reports, funds worth Rs. 710 crore are available for the payment of bills to contractors. However, Shivakumar's proposal to revisit all civil infrastructure contracts implemented in Bengaluru during the BJP's tenure (2019-2023) halted the payment process. While supporting Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah also reportedly said the government had ordered a probe to check the quality of work and status of implementation before releasing payments.
Reaction
Probe is Congress's attempt to collect commissions: Kumaraswamy
The opposition BJP and the JD(S) claimed that the Congress government tactfully wants to extract commission from contractors by using corruption allegations left during the BJP's tenure, per The Indian Express. Last week, former Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy also alleged the proposal to check the implementation of old contracts was an effort by the government to collect commissions of their own.
Allegations
Contractors' body approaches governor alleging Shivakumar sought bribes
Meanwhile, a section of the Karnataka Contractors' Association wrote to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, alleging that Shivakumar was seeking bribes in exchange for sanctioning the payments, per TIE They also sought the intervention of former Chief Ministers BS Yediyurappa and Bommai of the BJP. The president of the association, Kempanna, also made a public appeal to the Congress government to release the payments.
Response
Shivakumar denied allegations, says genuine payment will be made
Responding to allegations, Shivakumar said he would leave politics if the corruption claims against him were proven right. "There will be no problem with making payments to contractors who have done their work," he said. "We know who is behind every one of the contractors. We will not be cowed down by blackmail tactics. I will not respond to any contractors association," he added.