No commission allegation on Congress by contractors, says Priyank Kharge
'Contractors have asked for clearance of bill'
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has refuted the BJP's allegation that the Congress government in the state has demanded 15 per cent commission from the BBMP contractors, stating that the contractors' association has not accused the government of asking for commission but only asked to be paid for their services at projects.
Speaking to the media at the Vidhana Soudha on Thursday, Kharge called it merely an act of desperation by the BJP. “The contractors' association has not stated anywhere that the government has asked them for a commission. The contractors have only said that their bills have not been cleared by the government,” said the minister.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Minister DK Shivakumar have already clarified on the matter. The Chief Minister has additionally said that the contractors will be paid after completion of the work. The BJP, however, has continued making its charges. Do I consider that the BJP itself has taken a bribe to do so?” asked Kharge.
He suggested to the BJP to concentrate now on selection of the Opposition Leader for the Karnataka Assembly rather than criticize the Congress government.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai had said earlier that the contractors' association had spoken to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too, about the 65 per cent commission demanded by the Congress government.
“Rahul Gandhi, who claims to be intolerant of corruption, should intervene in the matter and ensure that the contractors' bills is cleared. If he fails to do so, it would mean that Karnataka is an ATM for the Congress,” Bommai told reporters at his RT Nagar residence in the city on Thursday, after receiving a memorandum from the office-bearers of the BBMP Contractors' Association requesting that their bills be cleared.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
