Financial fraud in Valmiki corporation: BJP to lay siege to offices of all DCs on June 28

BJP demands accountability for financial irregularities in Karnataka, accusing Chief Minister and Medical Education Minister, calling for resignations. A day after meeting party central leader Amit Shah in Delhi, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra upped the ante against alleged financial irregularities in the Karnataka State Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation by announcing that the party would lay siege to the offices of Deputy Commissioners of all districts on June 28 demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should own up responsibility for the alleged irregularities and that Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil should resign.

A day after meeting party central leader Amit Shah in Delhi, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra upped the ante against alleged financial irregularities in the Karnataka State Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation by announcing that the party would lay siege to the offices of Deputy Commissioners of all districts on June 28 demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should own up responsibility for the alleged irregularities and that Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil should resign.

After Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B. Nagendra tendered his resignation in connection with the alleged irregularities, the BJP has trained its guns on Dr. Patil, alleging that the corporation’s former accounts officer G. Parashurama Durgannanavar, who is an accused, has claimed in his affidavit that a “conspiracy” was hatched at Dr. Patil’s office to “destroy evidence” related to the case. Dr. Patil has denied his allegations.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Mr. Vijayendra alleged that the Congress government had robbed the funds earmarked for the welfare of ST communities. Referring to the alleged transfer of money from the corporation to private accounts in Telangana, he accused the Congress government of diverting the Karnataka government’s funds for elections in Telangana.

Mr. Vijayendra also expressed concern that Karnataka was witnessing a hike in the prices of essential commodities as well as services. It had begun with the hike in stamp duty, he said and pointed out that the cost of installation of transformers for IP sets of farmers had been increased from ₹25,000 to ₹2.5 lakh now. The cost of sowing seeds too had been sharply increased, he said. The recent increase in the prices of petrol and diesel had a spiralling impact on other services, he said.

Meanwhile, BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, maintained that the irregularities would not have taken place without the notice of the Finance Department, which is headed by the Chief Minister.