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Want judicial probe into Rs 2,000 cr Covid management scam in Karnataka: Siddaramaiah
Siddaramaiah also sought a discussion in the legislative assembly on the procurement of medical equipment to fight the pandemic.
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused the state government of large scale corruption in Covid-19 management and demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting High Court judge.
“Misappropriation by @CMofKarnataka & his ministers is more than ₹2,000 Cr. Inhumane act at a time of pandemic distress. There should be a judicial enquiry by a sitting high court judge and there should be a discussion in the assembly,” Siddaramaiah, leader of opposition in the state assembly, tweeted.
In another tweet, Siddaramaiahn said the Karnataka government was paying substantially more for ventilators than what others have.
“Central govt has procured 50,000 ventilators under PM Cares at a cost of ₹4, lakh per unit. Tamil Nadu has procured at ₹4.78 lakh. But in our state, the price is between ₹5.6 lakh to ₹18.2 lakh.”
He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a self-reliant India claiming that chief minister B S BS Yediyurappa’s government was importing Chinese medical equipment at exorbitant cost.
“On one hand @PMOIndia advocates Aatma Nirbhar Bharat but here in Karnataka, his own Chief Minister @BSYBJP, has procured hundreds of crores worth Made in China medical equipment at exorbitant price. Is this not hypocrisy?” he said in another tweet.
The Congress leader said the party will continue to cooperate with the government in saving people’s lives in the pandemic but insisted that “we will not cooperate with corruption and looting of money.”
The government dismissed the charges saying no irregularities have taken place in the procurement of medical equipment to fight the pandemic .
Health Minister B Sriramulu said, “I said it before and I am saying it now -- no irregularities have taken place,” according to PTI.
On Tuesday, during an address to the people of Karnataka, chief minister Yediyurappa had said, “Not one rupee has been misused.”
