Include 60 per cent commission charge against K'taka govt in SIT probe: Basavaraj Bommai
Bengaluru, Apr 12 (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet’s decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe 40 per cent commission allegations against the previous BJP government drew a sharp response from saffron party leader Basavaraj Bommai, who on Saturday demanded that graft charges against the Congress-led government also be brought under the SIT’s purview.
He urged that the SIT should investigate the 60 per cent commission allegations levelled against the present dispensation over the past two years, citing accusations made by various contractor associations.
His remarks came a day after the cabinet announced the SIT probe based on the Justice Nagmohan Das Commission’s report.
The one-man inquiry commission, constituted under the retired High Court judge to investigate the charges of a ‘40 per cent commission’ in civil works carried out during the BJP's tenure in the state, had submitted a 20,000-page report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah last month.
Asked about the state government's decision, Bommai told reporters here that a commission had already been formed to look into the "false propaganda" regarding the 40 per cent corruption allegations.
He demanded that the contents of that commission’s report be made public.
"Why is this government trying to cover things up? In the past two years, there have been allegations of 60 per cent corruption against this government. That should also be included in the SIT investigation," Bommai said.
The former Karnataka CM pointed out that public works, excise, and electrical contractors’ associations have openly alleged that 60 per cent corruption is prevalent in the current government.
He added that the probe must also include allegations from the BJP's time in office.
"Political opponents spread false allegations against us, but where is the evidence? Now, CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar are saying that people should file complaints with the Lokayukta if commissions are being demanded. Even during the BJP's tenure, we said the same—but no one came forward with complaints," he said.
Responding to allegations that payments for completed works are being withheld based on seniority, Bommai claimed that the government didn’t have the funds to pay for completed projects.
"That’s why, even though tenders have been awarded, contractors are hesitant to take up the work," he alleged.
Bommai further alleged that the Congress government and CM Siddaramaiah are indulging in "caste census politics".
"Even before conducting the survey, they should have officially declared it a caste census. Instead, they disguised it as a socio-economic survey and collected caste-related data," he claimed.
He added that while the chairman of the Backward Classes Commission submitted the report, neither the secretary nor other commission members signed it.
"Now, another chairman has submitted a whitewashed version of the report," he alleged.
"If this government truly cares about the backward classes, they should make the report public and reveal what plans they have for their welfare," he said.
Bommai also recalled that the government had said the cabinet would discuss the issue, but it has now been postponed to the next cabinet meeting.
"They’re forming yet another cabinet subcommittee to study it," he said.
"The Chief Minister is merely talking about how backward communities won't fill anyone’s stomach. For the last three to four years, he’s been playing politics with this issue. Siddaramaiah is not committed. Where there is no commitment, a committee is formed," Bommai alleged.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Big conspiracy against me; my documents are real, says 'fake' cardiologist in MP's Damoh
Damoh (MP), Apr 17 (PTI): 'Fake' cardiologist Narendra Yadav alias Narendra John Camm, allegedly responsible for the death of seven patients after botched surgeries at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh, on Thursday said he was a victim of a "big conspiracy", and claimed his degrees were genuine.
He made the remark during his brief interaction with media persons waiting outside a local court at the end of his police remand, which it extended by a day.
"A big conspiracy has been hatched against me. My documents (degrees) are real which you will come to know after the investigations draw to a close. Wait for a while," he told reporters.
Sources close to the investigation said except for his MBBS degree, Yadav had faked his post-graduate degree and other documents to claim that he was a trained cardiologist.
Arrested on April 7 from Uttar Pradesh, Yadav will be produced in the court on Friday again.
He was arrested after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) received a complaint claiming seven persons died at the Mission Hospital, Damoh, where he operated on patients in the name of treating heart diseases.
The FIR against Yadav was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 315 (4) (dishonest misappropriation), 338 (forgery), 336 (3) (creating or altering documents or electronic records with fraudulent intent), 340 (2) (forged documents and electronic records) and 3 (5) (joint criminal liability when a criminal act is committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention).
Chief Judicial Magistrate Riya Singh on Thursday extended by one day Yadav's police remand.
His lawyer Sachin Nayak opposed the prosecution plea, saying his client was in police custody since April 7 after following his arrest in Prayagraj.
He said his client would move the Madhya Pradesh High Court to seek his bail.
The director of an Indore-based employment consultancy firm had last week said Yadav had sent his resume three times between 2020 and 2024 for a job by claiming he had operated on thousands of patients.
In a 9-page resume sent to his firm in 2024, Camm had described himself as a senior cardiologist and gave his permanent address as Birmingham in Britain. In the resume, he had also mentioned that he was involved in the operations of thousands of heart patients, including 18,740 for "coronary angiography" and 14,236 for "coronary angioplasty", the director said.
