Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered an investigation over allegations of corruption in the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) during the BJP government's tenure, following a complaint by party leader Priyank Kharge, as reported by the news agency ANI. Kharge, Karnataka Rural Development, and Panchayat Raj Minister said a thorough investigation would be done and the guilty will be booked.
"@CMofKarnataka orders investigation into the mismanagement of KKRDB funds. Crores has been diverted to fulfill BJP's hidden agenda and for their own MLAs. As promised earlier, a thorough investigation will be done and the guilty will be booked," Priyank Kharge, who is son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, said in a tweet.
Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said that there are more scams and not just in Kalyana Karnataka. He also said that justice has to be delivered.
“There are more scams, not just in Kalyana Karnataka (KKRDB). We have to deliver justice, so we will order an enquiry into all the scams,” Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, as quoted by ANI. Congress leaders had earlier alleged that some BJP leaders in Karnataka were "hand-in-glove" with contractors and were "misappropriating public funds" released to KKRDB, as reported by ANI.
Corruption was a key issue of the campaign during the Karnataka elections held earlier this month with both BJP and Congress making allegations at each other. Last week on Saturday, the Congress government in Karnataka was expanded on Saturday with 24 MLAs taking oath as ministers and the party seeking to give representation to various castes and groups.
The oath was administered by Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The new cabinet has six members from the Vokkaliga community, eight Lingayats, four from the Scheduled Caste community, three scheduled tribes, two from the Muslim community and one from the Christian community. The Maratha and Brahmin community has also got representation.
Twenty-three MLAs took oath in Kannada while one took oath in English. While most MLAs took oath in the name of God, some took names of deities and revered figures. With this cabinet expansion, the Congress government in Karnataka has reached the full strength of 34 ministers including the Chief Minister.