Contractors' Association's allegations: BJP's Ashoka demands Siddaramaiah's resignation

Bengaluru, Sep 30 (PTI) Senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Tuesday demanded the immediate resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the wake of the State Contractors' Association's allegations about corruption in the Congress government.

Calling the Siddaramaiah administration an "80 per cent commission government", the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly said Karnataka cannot afford this "brazenly corrupt" Congress regime anymore.

Karnataka State Contractors' Association (KSCA) had last week written to Siddaramaiah alleging that commission for clearing payments in several departments under the current Congress government has "doubled" compared with the previous BJP regime.

It accused the state government of failing to release long-pending dues of contractors for nearly two years.

The '40 per cent commission' allegation by KSCA had rocked state politics and became a major poll plank for the Congress to wrest power from the BJP in 2023 Assembly polls.

"Karnataka Contractors expose Congress corruption! When in Opposition, Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar (Deputy CM) shouted about 40 percent commission. Today, under their rule, contractors themselves have exposed that the rate has doubled - Karnataka has become an 80 percent commission government!", Ashoka posted on 'X'.

He questioned why the ministers are not coming forward to deny the charges.

He further asked, "Why is the CM silent when the state's reputation is being dragged through the mud? Why are projects like Bidadi Township being used as a pretext for illicit real estate deals and acquisition of fertile farmers' land?" "This is the height of betrayal. Instead of transparency, Congress has delivered harassment, loot, and backdoor corruption. If CM Siddaramaiah has even a shred of dignity left, he must resign immediately," Ashoka posted, adding "#80PercentSarkara #ResignCM" PTI KSU KH