Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge appeals to disgruntled BJP MLA Yatnal to expose Covid-19 irregularities

Related: Yatnal accuses BS Yediyurappa government of Covid-19-linked scam

Suspects involvement of Union government

Kharge, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, suspected the involvement of the Union government in the Covid-19 scam.

“Yatnal has said that if he is expelled from the BJP then he will release all the documents (related to Covid-19 mismanagement). I appeal to him through the media to please make the documents public, keeping in mind the people of Karnataka and to safeguard their interest. Or at least share them with Justice John Michael Cunha Committee Commission of Inquiry,” Kharge, who holds IT/BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolios, told reporters.

He said people know that Yatnal is upright but he has to bring his honesty before the commission.

“If you (Yatnal) are not interested in handing it over to the commission then share it with the media because it is a ₹40,000 crore scam. There is no humanity if they (the previous BJP government) made money from corpses,” Kharge said reacting to BJP MLA’s statement.

Stating that these allegations were not by the Congress but by a BJP MLA and a former Union minister, Kharge asked the BJP state president BY Vijayendra and Opposition leader in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka to clarify the charges.

To a question why the Central level leaders were silent on the irregularities in Covid management, Kharge claimed they too would have got their share.

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‘BJP leaders gave the title of 40% commission’

The minister added that the title of “40 percent commission” given to the previous BJP government was not from the Congress but from their own (BJP) party leaders and Karnataka State Contractors’ Association.

“Did we ask them to make money out of corpses? Even though we were alleging that there was large scale corruption in the procurement of medical equipment, the then Speaker said the investigation should not continue further and it is illegal,” Kharge said.

“Have you ever heard that the Speaker wrote to the public accounts committee? It is quite visible that everyone’s involvement is there Central as well as the state government,” he added.

When asked when the inquiry report was expected, the minister said the commission has not yet submitted the report because it is still inquiring into it since it pertains to a massive ₹40,000 crore irregularity.

Kharge said these charges were serious because Yatnal has been repeatedly saying it.

He added that Yatnal had been accusing Vijayendra of being a “Shadow CM” when his father BS Yediyurappa was the chief minister.

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Yatnal’s statement

Yatnal, who has launched a tirade against Yediyurappa and his family, especially after his second son BY Vijayendra was made the BJP state president, said there was large-scale corruption in Covid-19 management during the BJP government.

Yatnal, on Tuesday, warned that he would expose the alleged irregularities of ₹40,000 crore that happened during the BJP government in Karnataka led by BS Yediyurappa at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic if he was expelled from the party.

The MLA said, “They (the BJP government in Karnataka) have done everything (huge corruption during Covid). Let them serve me a notice and try to expel me from the party, I will expose them.”

“A mask that costs ₹45 each, Mr Yediyurappa, how much did your government spend on each of them during the Covid? They had put a price of ₹485 for each mask…,” the agitated BJP MLA said in Vijayapura.

“They (BJP government) said they arranged 10,000 beds in Bengaluru. The rent for these beds…remember that it was taken only on rent if they had purchased them then two beds could have been bought (for the same price). They paid ₹20,000 as rent per day. Two cots with saline stands could have been purchased for ₹20,000. Do you know how much they spent a day during Corona?” Yatnal further said.

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Siddaramaiah questions BJP’s silence

Soon after Yatnal levelled the allegations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned the silence of the state BJP leaders and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has directly accused the BS Yeddyurappa-led BJP government of corruption to the tune of ₹40,000 crore during the Covid-19 pandemic and has provided evidence to our allegation that the BJP government was a 40-percent-commission government,” Siddaramaiah said on X.

“We had alleged that BS Yediyurappa government committed corruption of around ₹4,000 crore in the Covid-19 management in a press conference along with documents,” he added.

BJP MLA @BasanagoudaBJP’s bold allegation that the previous @BJP4Karnataka government led by @BSYBJP was involved in a Rs 40,000 crore corruption scandal during the Covid-19 pandemic has given further evidence to our earlier accusation that the BJP government was a '40%…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 26, 2023

“Judging by Yatnal’s allegation, it seems that there was 10 times more corruption than our estimate. Following our allegations, a group of then-ministers held a press conference at Vidhana Soudha. Where are they hiding now?” the Chief Minister asked.

“Yatnal should not do a hit-and-run job. If he is committed to eradicating corruption, he should take the charges to their logical conclusion. For this, he should hand over all the information he has about corruption during Corona to the commission of inquiry formed under the headship of retired Justice Nagamohan Das,” Siddaramaiah opined.

(With PTI inputs)