K’taka BJP asks CM Shivakumar to release tender panel report, questions lack of transparency
Bengaluru: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, accusing him of shielding alleged irregularities in the government’s functioning and challenging him to make public the report of a high-level committee examining alleged violations in tender procedures.
It can be recalled that, responding to the first major allegation of Rs 10,000 crore kickbacks in Bengaluru’s waste management tender after taking charge, Chief Minister Shivakumar on Wednesday hit back at R. Ashoka, accusing him of acting as an “agent of the garbage mafia” and indulging in politics driven by jealousy.
Responding to Shivakumar’s criticism, Ashoka said he was speaking as an “agent of the people” and not as a “commission agent protecting mafia interests”. He asserted that, as Leader of Opposition, it was his constitutional duty to question the government’s actions on behalf of Karnataka’s 75 million people and Bengaluru’s 15 million residents.
Ashoka alleged that Shivakumar was frustrated because the opposition had not given his government any “honeymoon period” after assuming office. He claimed that dissatisfaction within the Congress itself was evident, with legislators publicly expressing their grievances and frequently travelling to New Delhi to raise concerns with the party high command.
The BJP leader dismissed Shivakumar’s remarks about transparency and governance, describing them as “the biggest joke of the century”. He said the people of Karnataka were well aware of the Chief Minister’s political background and administrative record.
Referring to allegations of irregularities in tender processes, Ashoka noted that the government had constituted a high-level committee to examine the issue and had set a one-week deadline for submission of its report. He challenged Shivakumar to immediately release the report to the public if he was committed to transparency.
“If there is even a trace of transparency left, the report should be made public without any delay. Let the people of the state see the facts and decide for themselves,” Ashoka said.
He further alleged that the committee had been formed to cover up violations in tender rules and demanded full disclosure of its findings.
Ashoka concluded his statement by accusing the Congress government of misgovernance and asserting that the truth would be revealed once the report was made public.
Earlier, Ashoka on Wednesday sought an independent and time-bound investigation into alleged irregularities in the tender process for the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) project proposed for Bengaluru.
The allegations assume significance as they constitute the first major corruption charge levelled by the BJP against the newly-formed government led by CM Shivakumar.
The matter gained further momentum after a BJP delegation led by R. Ashoka met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and submitted a memorandum seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The delegation also demanded the dismissal of the Congress-led state government, alleging large-scale financial impropriety in the project.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the project involved a scam worth Rs 36,500 crore and claimed that kickbacks amounting to Rs 10,000 crore had been paid.
“The new (Congress) government has brought forward this proposal and awarded waste management tenders to powerful companies. Earlier, waste management work at different levels was carried out by local operators. This is a major scam involving a project worth Rs 36,500 crore. Kickbacks to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore have been taken,” the Opposition leader alleged.
