Minister Munirathna to file Rs 50-crore defamation case against contractors' body over graft charge
Bengaluru, Aug 25: Karnataka Horticulture Minister Munirathna on Thursday said he would be filing a Rs 50-crore defamation case and a criminal defamation case against the Karnataka State Contractors' Association, which has made a 40 per cent commission charge against the government and accused him of collecting money.
The Minister, who is in-charge of Kolar district, gave a 7-day ultimatum to the association to provide evidence either before the media or to Lokayukta else apologise through a press release.
He said the case would be filed before the Special Courts for People's Representatives after the seventh day.
"With deep pain, as someone who was a contractor myself, a situation has come for me to file a defamation case against a contractors' association of which I was a member. If left without taking action, it will send a wrong message to the people of the State," Munirathna said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said not wanting a wrong message to go to people, he is filing the defamation case against the Karnataka State Contractors' Association and all its office-bearers.
"They have to come before the court and give evidence that this government is asking a 40 per cent commission and get themselves relieved of the defamation case. In case, they are unable to provide evidence to the court, the law will take its course," he said, adding, "If we have committed a mistake let us be punished, but defaming with allegations cannot be let gone."
Munirathna said instead of writing letters for the sake of publicity, evidence and documents should be provided to prove the allegations at the earliest, and expose the errant Ministers, officials and politicians.
"A complaint should be filed before Lokayukta in seven days, in case there is no evidence to file a complaint before Lokayukta or release it before the media, they should issue a press release seeking apology for the allegations made on Wednesday," he said.
"In case, it is not done after seven days, we will file two cases - Rs 50 crore defamation and criminal defamation, not only against Kempanna (association president) alone but the whole association," he added, as he termed the allegations as politically motivated, as the charges were made as per the "guidance" of the Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah.
Kempanna on Wednesday accused a district in-charge Minister, without mentioning names, of threatening officials to collect and get the money.
To a query on the district in-charge Minister he referred to, Kempanna had said, it is Kolar district in-charge Minister (without taking Munirathna name), who has threatened to suspend the executive engineer if money is not collected and given. "He is asking officials to collect and get the money."
"He (Minister) also has threatened to check the three-year-old work with machinery, when no payment has been done for the work for the last three years. He himself was a contractor, and got work done in R R Nagar (his constituency) for Rs 10,000 crore in two terms. What improvement has R R Nagar made?" he had asked.
The contractors' association today renewed its 40 per cent commission charge and said it would continue its fight demanding an independent judicial inquiry.
An association delegation, led by its president D Kempanna, met Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Siddaramaiah and later alleged that the whole system was corrupt. Earlier, the State Cabinet condemned the allegations of commission made by the contractors association, calling it 'baseless' and asked it to prove with evidence.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who termed the allegations as "nothing but politically motivated", hit out at the Congress, which along with the association is demanding a judicial probe.
"I demand details and evidence for allegations made; if given, will an order inquiry in 24 hours", Bommai said.
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
