New Delhi [India], September 30 : Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar rejected allegations of a Rs 444-crore tender scam involving Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, calling the complaint against him “false”.
“Yathindra Siddaramaiah became a minister barely a couple of months ago; how could he commit irregularities so quickly? All those allegations are false,” Shivakumar said while speaking to reporters in Delhi on Tuesday.
The statement comes after BJP leader NR Ramesh alleged irregularities in the Karnataka State Wide Area Network (KSWAN) 3.0 tender process and claimed that the Rs 444-crore contract was manipulated to favour a particular company.
Ramesh alleged that the tender, issued under the state’s Centre for e-Governance, was structured with conditions favouring a particular bidder. He also claimed that Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL), which he described as qualified for the project, was prevented from participating.
Ramesh further alleged that complaints regarding the tender process were submitted to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) and the e-Governance CEO, but no action was taken. He named Yathindra Siddaramaiah among others in a complaint submitted to the Enforcement Directorate.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar said Congress leaders held discussions in Delhi on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the Election Commission. “We had a meeting on SIR and the Election Commission. We also had a meeting of Education Ministers from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala on the South India Education Policy. Leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi were there,” he said.
He said Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi, attended the discussions.
Shivakumar also said pending appointments to Corporation Boards and the proposed Karnataka Cabinet expansion were under consideration.
“Corporation Boards and Cabinet expansion are pending. The high command in Delhi will send the list, and we will do it,” he said.
Notably, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday passed a set of resolutions at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of 13 crore 30 lakh names that the party claims have been removed from the rolls.
The CWC said it met to deliberate on what it described as a "grave danger to our democracy" posed by reports alleging the capture of the electoral process by the RSS-BJP with the alleged support of the Election Commission of India (ECI) under the current CEC.
The party said the developments vindicated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's warnings about what it termed "Vote Chori", and cited his concerns over selective enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, the integrity of EVMs, additions and deletions from electoral rolls, the changed process for appointing the CEC and the grant of lifelong immunity to the CEC.