MLA JT Patil's personal assistant Prakash Bilagi is accused of pressuring Dinesh Gundu Rao’s secretary for transfers of officials and NOCs for colleges.
Published Oct 12, 2023 | 8:26 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 12, 2023 | 8:28 PM
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In a development that could embarrass the Congress government in Karnataka, demands for transfer have left the personal staff of a minister and Congress MLA at loggerheads.
This, even as the state government is already facing the wrath of the Opposition over the transfer of officials.
The Vidhana Soudha Police on Thursday, 12 October, sought and received a magistrate court’s permission to probe a complaint that Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao’s personal secretary KA Hidayat Ulla had lodged against Prakash Bilagi, the personal assistant of MLA JT Patil, for blackmailing and threatening him.
In his complaint to the police on Tuesday, Ulla accused Prakash of pressuring him for the transfer of officials and No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to colleges.
Patil, representing the Bilagi constituency in the Assembly, refused to respond to the complaint.
Under Section 155, Clause (2) of the CrPC, a police officer needs an order from a magistrate of the first or second class or a presidency magistrate to investigate a non-cognizable case.
Ulla alleged that Prakash had been blackmailing and threatening him for transfers and NOCs. “Bilagi MLA JT Patil’s personal assistant Prakash Bilagi is blackmailing me over the transfer of officials. I am working as per the directions of the minister,” he said in the complaint.
“Prakash is preventing me from performing my duties. He is pressuring me for transfers and NOCs for colleges that are not related to him,” Ulla further alleged.
“He is not even allowing the verification of applications at the government level. He is threatening to transfer some of the officers to the designated place. There is a suspicion that Prakash is involved in the transfer racket,” he said.
“He created a fake letter saying the MLA had submitted a complaint to the Speaker and threatened me over a WhatsApp message saying that if I don’t transfer the officials, I will have to face the consequences,” the complainant said.
Ulla said Prakash barged into his office in his absence and abused the staff.
Vidhana Soudha Police Inspector Kumaraswamy said the police had taken the court’s permission to proceed with the investigation.
“We have not arrested or taken Prakash into custody. We will send him a notice and probe the allegations,” he told South First.
“The complainant has submitted evidence like WhatsApp conversations with the accused. He alleged that the legislator’s PA used to harass, abuse, threaten, and blackmail over transfers and NOCs for colleges,” said the officer, adding all angles would be probed.
MLA Patil disconnected the call when South First asked him about the complaint against his personal assistant.
Meanwhile, the BJP said the government was involved in a transfer racket.
“It is now clear that within a month of coming to the helm, the MLAs and ministers of the Congress came to streets and argued over the issue of transfer racked and nothing else,” the Karnataka unit of the BJP said on X (formerly Twitter).
ಅಧಿಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದು ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲೇ @INCKarnatakaದ ಶಾಸಕರು, ಸಚಿವರು ಬೀದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತು ಕಿತ್ತಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದು ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆ ದಂಧೆಯ ವಿಚಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊರತು ಇನ್ಯಾವುದಕ್ಕೂ ಅಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಈಗ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ.@siddaramaiah ಅವರಿಗೆ 30ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಶಾಸಕರು ಪತ್ರ ಬರೆದು ಸಚಿವರ ದರ್ಪದ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಧ್ವನಿ ಎತ್ತಿದ್ದು ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆ ದಂಧೆಯ… pic.twitter.com/Dnr8NvvI4u
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) October 12, 2023
“More than 30 MLAs have written to Siddaramaiah and raised voices against the ministers to get their share in this transfer racket,” it added.
“Now, the minister’s personal secretary has filed a complaint against MLA JT Patil’s personal assistant. Hence, they have finally admitted to the transfer scam,” the BJP alleged.
It may be noted that the BJP and the JD(S) in the Opposition had raised allegations of the existence of a transfer racket.
JD(S) Legislature Party leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy claimed that he had evidence of the alleged transfer racket. However, he did not release any evidence to support the allegations.
