From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 6: Still smarting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charges against the Siddaramaiah regime as the "most corrupt government" and "10% Commission government" during his election rallies in Karnataka, the ruling Congress party came out with documentary evidence regarding BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa allegedly receiving kickbacks of over Rs 4.11 crore and demanded an answer from the self-appointed "Chowkidar."
Addressing a news conference at the Congress Bhavan of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in Bengaluru on Friday, Congress MLC V S Ugrappa claimed that Yeddyurappa had received kickbacks of over Rs 4.11 crore from RNS Infrastructure Limited (RNSIL) for awarding 1033 crore tender works for Murudeshwara Power Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of RNSIL, for implementing the Upper Bhadra Project.
Ugrappa, a staunch supporter of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, released documents from the Income Tax Department and returns filed by Yeddyurappa during the years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 in support of his charges.
During Yeddyurappa’s rule of Karnataka as the chief minister from May 2008 to July 2011, the Congress MLC alleged that the BJP leader had allegedly received bribes of Rs 1 crore each in 2008-09 and 2009-10 and Rs 2.11 crore in 2010-11, totalling Rs 4.11 crore from RNSIL for awarding contract works.
As chairman of the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL), Yeddyurappa had awarded tender works of the Upper Bhadra Project to Murudeshwara Power Corporation Limited.
The project was proposed to provide irrigation facilities in the drought-probe regions of Chitradurga and Chikmagalur districts, he explained.
As Yeddyurappa has not disclosed these bribes as incomes while filing IT returns, Ugrappa said the IT Department had issued an order in 2016 directing the former Chief Minister to pay a penalty of Rs 2.22 crore (Rs 2,22,49,359).
IT notices issued on March 8, 2016, had asked “Yeddyurappa to reconcile his stand in response to the evidences,” Ugrappa said.
The Congress leader said bribes received by Yeddyurappa were unearthed during the IT searches/seizures in the offices of RNSIL in Bengaluru and Hubballi.
IT Department in its notice, had further said: “It is well established that the assesssee (Yeddyurappa) was holding an important public office and was in position of power, in the region where the proposed Bhadra project is to be implemented. Therefore, I have reason to believe that he is one such recipient of these out of the book payment in connection with the Upper Bhadra Project in Karnataka region.”
In the IT assessment year 2009-10, Yeddyurappa had declared income of Rs 30,70,370; Rs 26,53,320 in 2010-11; and Rs 57,70,420 in 2011-12 years, Ugrappa said reading out IT documents.
Ugrappa said Modi and BJP National President Amit Shah have no moral authority to speak on corruption in the Siddaramaiah government when the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate himself had received corruption.
"Let the Prime Minister, who asked the people to make him the Chowkidaar and Pradhan Sevak, must answer or direct his party’s chief ministerial candidate in the State to come clean. Similarly, let the BJP National President also answer what the government’s IT Department’s documents reveal," Ugrappa said.