BENGALURU: The recent victory of the BJP in the BBMP elections will not discourage the government from pursuing the findings of the Kataria commission report, Home Minister K J George said. The commission had probed the alleged mismanagement in the civic body during the previous BJP rule.
“While we are accepting the verdict of the voters, the efforts to bring the culprits to book will not stop. (BJP’s) victory cannot automatically absolve anyone from the misdeeds...,” George told reporters on Wednesday.
The charges against the dissolved BJP-ruled BBMP included conversion of thousands of B-khatas into A-khatas without collecting betterment charges and large-scale irregularities in allowing illegal advertisement hoardings across the city.
“The cash-strapped BBMP was deprived of advertisement revenue as illegal hoardings were allowed to come up across the city,” the minister said.
About his party’s performance in the BBMP polls, he said that Congress candidates had put up an aggressive campaign. “We came too close but stumbled in the end,” he said.
He said Congress’ strength in the urban body has increased from 65 to 76, while the BJP’s has dropped from 111 to 100.
“Our party leaders will sit together and make an assessment and study the causes which contributed to the poll reverses,” he added.
To a question, the minister denied that the state government may be vindictive towards the BJP-ruled BBMP. “It is unfair to assume... despite the poll setback, we will extend full cooperation and support for the overall development of the city,” he added. He also urged BJP to fulfill its pre-poll promises.