BJP seeks sacking of two Ministers over Congress MLA’s allegation

The Congress MLA from Dakshina Kannada district, Ashok Kumar Rai, has accused two engineers working for Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) of collecting extra charges from contractors. These charges, Rai claims, are allegedly earmarked for the Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister and the department Minister. The allegations were detailed in a letter Rai sent to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, prompting the BJP to call for the dismissal of the two Ministers in question.

At a press conference in Bengaluru, R. Ashok, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, urged the government to immediately sack the two Ministers who are alleged to be receiving bribes. He also demanded that the investigation into this matter be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Rai's letter alleges that an extra 7% is being collected from contractors under KRIDL, purportedly to be handed over to these Ministers, and that contractors who question this practice are threatened.

Rai claims that after the Congress came to power, officials have been acting in an unruly manner, creating a "commission raj." He alleges that for every ₹100 released, only ₹30 worth of work is being done, with the remaining 70% going as commission. Rai estimates that around ₹800 crore may have been collected in commission so far.

The BJP attack on the Chief Minister for criticizing the party's padayatra, described by Rai as "not political," is said to be aimed at creating public awareness about issues such as drought relief.