BJP charges Congress govt in Karnataka with 'collecting funds' for Lok Sabha polls

Senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Thursday wondered whether the Congress government in Karnataka was allegedly engaged in 'fund collection' as part of preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to reporters here, the former Deputy Chief Minister said the "prediction" made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the campaigning for the May Assembly elections that the Congress will use Karnataka like its ATM has come true.

The BJP MLA said in the run-up to the May polls, the Congress in Karnataka ran 'PayCM' campaign targeting the then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai making baseless allegations of collecting 40 per cent commission on award of government contracts.

"Now, the contractors are alleging that 15 per cent commission is being collected. What is your answer to this? Are you laying the foundation for the Lok Sabha election through collection?" Ashoka asked.


As the Karnataka has ordered investigations into the public works executed by the Bengaluru civic agency from 2019 to 2023 and formed four committees headed by the IAS officers, Ashoka challenged the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, to order probe into the works that taken place from 2013 (Congress was in power from 2013 to 2018).

He also alleged that the government has stopped all public works in the city and payments to the contractors.