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.
Former Karnataka Minister R Ashoka. (PTI)
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).
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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).
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He also alleged that the government has stopped all public works in the city and payments to the contractors.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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