Karnataka Minister Alleges Irregularities Of Rs 500 Crore During BJP Rule

Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge alleged on Thursday that there were financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 500 crore in the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) during the previous BJP government.

The minister claimed then BJP government did not merely charge a "40 per cent commission," as his party had claimed during the assembly election, but had collected a commission of more than 400 per cent.

He also asserted that ever since he took over as a minister after the Congress came to power, not a single order was passed in KEONICS nor did any procurement take place through the agency.

"The audit report shows financial irregularities close to Rs 500 crore, which have taken place from 2019 to 2023. The previous BJP government was not a mere '40 per cent commission government' but it had gone up to 400 per cent commission. This is not me but the audit report that is saying this," Mr Kharge said at a press conference.

The minister's statement came as some BJP leaders alleged that a KEONICS official demanded a bribe of Rs 38 crore to clear bills to the tune of Rs 300 crore. They also accused Mr Kharge of being involved in it.

The minister said an investigation has been ordered, and the changes in rules for accountability and transparency that the Congress government is introducing will create trouble for many former ministers and MLAs. This is why they are making these baseless allegations, he said.

"The BJP has been alleging that bill payment is not being done. Ask them how many bills are pending. Have they done any homework or produced any document to support their allegation? The pending bill is worth Rs 16.27 crore. Ever since we came to power, payments were made to only manpower agencies," the minister explained.

According to him, only those bills are pending where third-party inspection has not taken place.

Admitting that some bills may not have been cleared, the minister said that genuine vendors whose bills are due have not raised an issue. They will get the money after verification, he said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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