In response to the 40% graft claims, Karnataka Horticulture Minister Munirathna has submitted a legal notice to the Karnataka Contractors’ Association and requested an apology from the group for bringing “baseless allegations” against him without any supporting documentation. The minister gave the group a further seven days to post full-page advertisements with an apology in local and national newspapers or conduct a press conference apologising for their claims in the 50 crore defamation notice. The Karnataka Minister said in the notice that the contractors’ accusations had damaged his reputation and had an adverse effect on his mental health.
The contractors’ body had been given a seven-day deadline by the Karnataka Horticulture Minister last week to present evidence to the Lokayukta or to the media, or write an official press release apologising. The state contractors’ organisation for Karnataka said that Munirathna had threatened officials in order to collect the money. After receiving the notification, the contractors’ group sought legal advice to determine their next course of action. The contractors have also organised a significant one-day walkout to oppose the ministers’ and government’s threats.
Munirathna is accused of threatening government employees by the state contractors’ organisation, who was even identified in a Lokayukta report. D Kempanna, the president of the association, claimed that the executive engineer had been threatened with suspension if money was not raised and handed by the minister, who also serves as the minister in charge of the Kolar district. “He is requesting that authorities gather and obtain the funds. When no payment has been made for the job for the past three years, the Minister has additionally threatened to use machinery to examine the work. In two terms, he personally completed projects worth Rs 10,000 crore in RR Nagar, his district. What changes has RR Nagar undergone? When addressing the media a few weeks back, Kempanna posed the question.
Then, Munirathna denied the accusation and threatened legal action against the association for disparaging him. He had stated that the contractors’ organisation would need to back up their assertions that he had made a demand for money with proof. “The law will take its course if they are unable to present proof before the court. We should be penalised if we made a mistake, but we cannot permit accusations of defamation, he had remarked. The allegations of graft made by the contractors were dubbed “politically driven” by Munirathna, who also claimed that Siddaramaiah, the leader of the opposition, provided “direction” for the charges to be brought.
The contractors’ group had maintained on August 24 its claim that Karnataka ministers demand a 40% commission, adding that it will continue to fight by calling for an impartial court investigation. Following a meeting with Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Siddaramaiah last week, an association delegation led by its president D Kempanna said that the entire system was corrupt.
The Contractors Association’s accusations are unfounded, according to the Karnataka government. Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister, referred to the accusations as “nothing but politically driven” and attacked the Congress for supporting the association’s desire for a judicial investigation. “I demand specifics and support for the claims made; if provided, I will commission an inquiry within 24 hours,”
