Opposition BJP urges the Governor to immediately intervene and take decisions in the best interest of the state.
Published Jun 23, 2025 | 3:32 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 23, 2025 | 3:32 PM
Raju Kage. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: Three days after Aland MLA BR Patil’s audio clip on corruption in Karnataka housing scheme was leaked, another MLA — Raju Kage — from the ruling Congress went public against government officials for not working properly. Kage further said the state’s administrative system has collapsed.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has much firefighting to do with one more Congress MLA coming out in the open against the unabated corruption under the party-ruled government.
Raju Kage, the MLA from Kagwad, threatened to resign, protesting against the inordinate delay in carrying out development works in his constituency in the Belagavi district. Kage is also the Chairman of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC).
Speaking to reporters at Ainapur in the district, Kage expressed disappointment at not issuing a single work order, though the chief minister had approved a special grant of ₹25 crore. The grant was issued for developing roads and multiple community halls.
Lamenting that his situation was similar to that of BR Patil, the Congress MLA from Aland, Kage said he was mentally disturbed and would take a call on resigning after meeting the chief minister in two days.
However, Kage did not specify if he would be quitting the Assembly or the NWKRTC.
In an audio clip leaked on Friday, 20 June, Patil was heard expressing displeasure over allegations that houses under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Limited were being allotted to those who paid bribes and that legitimate recommendations from elected officials like him were being ignored.
“Houses are being allotted only to those who have paid bribes. I am saddened to raise this complaint against my government. A total of 950 houses across different villages have been allotted after taking money from the beneficiaries. My recommendation letters are being ignored. Instead, preference is given to the list submitted by the Gram Panchayat President,” he was heard telling Sarfaraz Khan, the personal assistant to Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Kage, who spoke out three days after the clip was leaked, said Patil’s statements were true. He accused government officials of not functioning properly and claimed the administrative system has collapsed under the current government.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಸಹಕಾರ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಆರೋಪಿಸಿ ಸ್ವತಃ ಆಡಳಿತ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಶಾಸಕರೊಬ್ಬರು ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆ ನೀಡಲು ಮುಂದಾಗಿರುವುದು ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ದುರಾಡಳಿತಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯಾಗಿದೆ.
ಸ್ವಪಕ್ಷೀಯ ಶಾಸಕರ ಆಕ್ರೋಶಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಹಾಕುವುದೇ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಈಗ ಬಹುದೊಡ್ಡ ಸವಾಲಾಗಿದೆ. ರಾಯರೆಡ್ಡಿ, ಬಿ. ಆರ್.… pic.twitter.com/QcObSLljlL
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) June 23, 2025
Following Kage’s statements, the Opposition BJP urged the Governor to “immediately intervene and take decisions in the best interest of the state”.
“The Congress governance has become a curse for the state. Ironically, the very Congress MLAs are now responding to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, who had earlier downplayed the BJP’s protests and the people’s outrage rally. On one side, there is a cold war over the Chief Minister’s chair, and on the other, Congress MLAs are rising against a state government that is drowning in corruption and developmental stagnation. In between, the condition of the common people has become unbearable, clearly indicating a state of anarchy in the state,” BJP state president BY Vijayendra said on X.
“From one constituency to another, people are reportedly having to pay bribes for every single government service. Now, even the legislators themselves are caught in the web of corruption. MLAs BR Patil and Raju Kage have testified to this. With no grants available and public grievances unresolved, *@INCKarnataka* legislators are reaching a point of despair. The wall of restraint among MLAs has started to crack, and many Congress legislators are reportedly lining up behind BR Patil and Raju Kage. When even the ruling party’s own MLAs are openly expressing helplessness and frustration at the corruption and loot within the system, it is clear that the administration has completely collapsed,” he added while demanding the governor’s intervention.
The BJP Karnataka’s official X handle said a legislator from the ruling party preparing to resign was a clear indication of the government’s misgovernance.
“The biggest challenge now facing the Siddaramaiah government is to suppress the outrage brewing within its own party members. After Rayareddy and BR Patil, Congress MLA Raju Kage has also voiced his anger against his own government,” it tweeted.
“In the Congress government, the appeals and demands of MLAs — constitutionally elected by the people — are echoing in vain, like cries in a forest. This government is unable to deliver justice even to its own party legislators,” the BJP added.
