BJP made money from heaps of dead bodies during COVID-19, claims Dinesh Gundu Rao

Referring to the John Michael D’Cunha commission’s report that recommended action against former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and former Health Minister B. Sriramulu for irregularities in the procurement of PPE kits during the pandemic, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged that the BJP was busy in making money when people were dying.

Referring to the John Michael D’Cunha commission’s report that recommended action against former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and former Health Minister B. Sriramulu for irregularities in the procurement of PPE kits during the pandemic, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged that the BJP was busy in making money when people were dying.

“We never resorted to hate or vendetta politics. Much before we came to power, we had alleged that there was widespread corruption in the procurement of health equipment and medicine during the pandemic. Now, the John Michael D’Cunha commission that looked into the alleged irregularities confirmed it. The BJP government purchased PPE kits, medicines, and masks from Chinese companies at exorbitant rates. Because of this, the State had to lose ₹14 crore. Based on the facts, the commission has recommended prosecution of Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Sriramulu,” Mr. Rao told presspersons at a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee camp established at Krishna Nagar in Sandur, Ballari district, on Sunday.

To a question, Mr. Rao said that comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with BJP State unit president B.Y. Vijayendra, and Mr. Yediyurappa was wrong.

“Mr. Siddaramaiah did not have any black spot in his prolonged political career. The BJP is trying to fix him in false cases by misusing the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Central Bureau of Investigation. On the other hand, Mr. Yediyurappa is a corrupt politician. Karnataka never saw such a corrupt Chief Minister as Mr. Yediyurappa was. He doesn’t have any moral right to speak on corruption or question Mr. Siddaramaiaha’s morality,” Mr. Rao said.

When asked, Mr. Rao held that the argument that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar provided all the documents related to the MUDA scam to the media and Opposition was false and baseless.

Mr. Rao also questioned BJP’s morality by stating that mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy, who looted natural resources in Ballari through illegal mining and barred from entering the district, was leading the BJP’s bypoll campaign in Sandur.

“Mr. Reddy was a man who was in jail for so many years for the illegal mining. He is the one who looted the natural resources. He was the one who unleashed terror on public servants and people to loot Ballari. Now, he is leading BJP’s poll campaign in Sandur. You can understand the low that BJP has stooped to and its degeneration,” Mr Rao said.