Home » National » If It Was 40 Commission Government In Karnataka It Is 80 In Kerala Says Congress Leader Ramesh Chennithala

If it was ‘40% commission’ government in Karnataka, it is 80% in Kerala, says Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala

Chennithala said the party would not allow the Left government to allegedly loot the people under the guise of the 'Safe Kerala' project.

ByPTI

Published May 15, 2023 | 3:54 PM ⚊UpdatedMay 15, 2023 | 3:54 PM

A poster by Ramesh Chennithala alleging 80% commission by the state government, Ramesh Chennithala. (Facebook)

After its win in Karnataka, where it blamed the outgoing BJP administration of being a “40 percent commission” government, the Congress on Monday, 15 May, took a dig at the ruling LDF in Kerala by terming it as an “80 percent commission” regime.

Senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala contended that a second term in power has boosted the “arrogance” of the ruling Left and the chief minister of Kerala.

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‘Submerged in corruption’

He also accused the LDF government of being “submerged” in corruption.

“If it was 40 percent commission in Karnataka, here (in Kerala) they are taking 80 percent commission,” Chennithala said at a press conference held in connection with the alleged Artificial Intelligence (AI) camera scam.

A similar allegation was made by the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly VD Satheesan a couple of days ago while reacting to Congress leading during the counting of votes polled in the Karnataka elections.

Satheesan had said the Congress campaign in Karnataka highlighted the 40 percent commission that the ruling government there was allegedly taking.

“Here in Kerala, it is 46 percent or 65 percent. We will highlight that here,” he had said referring to the AI camera and other projects.

The Motor Vehicle Department has installed 726 AI-enabled cameras to keep track of the violations of traffic rules across the state as part of the “Safe Kerala” project.

The Congress has been raising corruption charges against the implementation of the “Safe Kerala” project, which aims to reduce road accidents and traffic violations in the state, since its inauguration in April.

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‘Will not allow state-sponsored loot’

On Monday, during the press conference, Chennithala said the party would not allow the Left government to allegedly loot the people to fill the pockets of the relatives of those in power under the guise of the ‘Safe Kerala’ project.

There are allegations that a relative of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is connected to one of the private companies which carried out the work of installing the AI cameras.

Chennithala claimed that the imposition of fines under the project has not been implemented yet fearing the consequent huge public outcry.

He said the Congress would be laying siege to the state secretariat on 20 May, which marks the LDF government’s second anniversary upon retaining power in the state, over various issues including the alleged corruption in the AI camera project.

(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)