Karnataka state cabinet may discuss probe into ‘scams’ during BJP govt
BENGALURU: The state cabinet, which is meeting on Wednesday, is likely to take a decision on setting up of special investigation teams (SITs) and special task forces (STFs) to probe various scams of the previous BJP government, including the police sub-inspector and assistant professor recruitment and Bitcoin money laundering issues.
This was one of the promises made by Congress in the run-up to the Assembly polls. Sources said RDPR and IT&BT minister Priyank Kharge, Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundurao and Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar are among those who are in favour of investigations.
In fact, Kharge, who had launched a scathing attack against the BJP government, has continued to campaign for the probes. As the RDPR minister, he has ordered an investigation into irregularities in the implementation of the central government-sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission(JJM).
Recently, members of the Contractors’ Association, who had alleged when the BJP government was in power that they had to pay a commission of 40 per cent to get projects, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and told him that they will provide evidentiary documents to support their allegation. The decision on ordering an investigation into the commission scam will be taken soon, the sources said.
The government has to set up SITs or STFs, depending on the gravity and technicality of the scams. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has already indicated that the government will probe all the scandals.
FIRs into the scams had been filed during the BJP government and several officers, including senior IPS officer Amrit Paul who was then the ADGP (recruitment), have been taken into custody. The Congress government now has the responsibility of taking these cases forward, a senior Congress leader told The New Indian Express. “The investigation into the scams is the party’s decision and we are firm about it,” he added.
But senior Congress leaders paying so-called courtesy visits to BJP leaders over the last few days had raised doubts over these investigations reaching their logical conclusion. It was also speculated that these probes would target only certain leaders, leaving out many main players.
Mysuru-Kodagu MP member Pratap Simha, who has been alleging that some BJP leaders had mollycoddled with senior Congress leaders to defeat BJP in the Assembly polls, has dared the Congress government to probe all the scams.