Karnataka BJP to launch agitation against corruption in housing scheme
Bengaluru, Jun 22 (PTI): Against the backdrop of ruling Congress MLA B R Patil's allegation of corruption in the housing schemes for the poor, the BJP in Karnataka on Sunday said it would launch an agitation in the state. However, the party did not specify when it would be held.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said Patil's statement exposed corruption prevailing in the government.
Patil, who also serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, had alleged bribery in the allotment of houses in a phone conversation with Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan's private secretary, Sarfaraz Khan.
The audio clip of the conversation went viral, causing embarrassment to the ruling Congress government.
The Aland MLA later confirmed the voice in the audio was his.
"It is my voice in the audio. I have spoken... I have said whatever I had to. I don't know what the chief minister will do. If he calls me, I will go and speak to him," Patil told reporters on Saturday.
He maintained that he had only spoken the truth.
Reacting to this, Vijayendra told reporters, "Senior leader and Congress MLA B R Patil has thrown light on the grave situation prevailing in the state. Patil has exposed the corruption within the department entrusted with providing housing to the poor."
Vijayendra, who is also an MLA from Shikaripura, alleged that ruling party leaders were trying to intimidate Patil.
"One thing is for sure -- this Congress government has become a curse for the poor people of the state. The Siddaramaiah government is not working in favour of the underprivileged," the BJP state chief said.
He added that when his father B S Yediyurappa was chief minister, several pro-people measures were implemented.
Vijayendra alleged that corruption was rampant in the current administration.
"This is a state government that encourages corruption. There is sponsored corruption in Karnataka. All of this is now coming to light through B R Patil's statement," he said, and added that "the BJP will take to the streets on this issue."
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
