From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Belagavi, Aug 11: Opposition BJP and its leaders are scared of their sorry plight after the comprehensive defeat in the assembly elections and are worried about the party’s prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged that the BJP leaders have no ‘’real’’ issues to attack the government and have now latched on to the pending bills of contractors

Speaking to media persons in Belagavi helipad on Friday, he said BJP leaders must remember that the party’s rampant corruption, price rise, unemployment and religious as well as caste polarisation attempts have caused their defeat and accused the opposition party of causing economic ruin in the State.

People are happy with the implementation of Shakti and Gruhalakshmi guarantees, he said pointing out that 1.28 crore families will be benefitted with Gruhalakshmi guarantee from Belagavi on Saturday and declared that direct transfer of Rs 2,000 per month to the women heads of families is the biggest welfare programme in the entire country.

He said discussions on extending free electricity to weavers are going on and a suitable decision will be taken after another round of meeting. Siddaramaiah asserted that the Congress party will ‘’win at least 20 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats’’ in Karnataka and made it clear that all Congress leaders and workers are determined to rid the BJP from the State.

The chief minister claimed that the BJP government had not cleared the bills of contractors during the last three years and asserted that the BJP has no moral right to speak about pending bills.

"BJP has no real issues to attack the government and the party leaders have resorted to levelling false allegations after their tirade against the guarantees did not work,’’ he alleged.

The chief minister said the BJP government did not clear the bills of contractors during the last three years and its leaders have started firing from the shoulders of contractors.

"The Congress party is in power during the last three months. We need to check what happened in the last 3 years. We have attacked the Bommai government for demanding 40% commission and have now started probing all these allegations,’’ he said.

The government wants to verify and examine whether the works have been completed and the bills are submitted in accordance with the works executed. There are allegations of fake bills or shoddy work. Those who have fulfilled the work orders will get their money and they will not be disturbed. But all those, who carried out shoddy, incomplete work and submitted bogus bills cannot be paid.

As many as four teams are probing all the works and the payment will made after getting the investigation reports. The guilty will be punished and cannot be paid merely because of exerting political pressures, he declared.

He said former high court judge B Veerappa is conducting a judicial probe into the 40% commission charge and all the bogus bills. "Let us wait for the report,’’ he said.

"Whoever has eaten salt, must drink water,’’ he said.

Bommai wants Rahul’s intervention as he doesn’t trust Modi

Siddaramaiah said Union ministers Shobha Karandlaje, Smriti Irani and others have already complained against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi giving "flying kiss’’ and the issue is pending before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

"Let us see, what he decides,’’ he said attacking BJP of needlessly targeting Rahul Gandhi after his sharp criticism of the Narendra Modi government in its handling of Manipur and other issues.

Asked to comment on Bommai’s demand that Rahul Gandhi should intervene and direct the government to clear the pending bills of the contractors, Siddaramaiah said: "I am happy that Bommai has accepted Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. Obviously, he has no faith in his leader Modi.’’

"It is the prime minister who can give directions to a government. But Bommai has no faith in Modi and instead wants Rahul Gandhi to intervene,’’ he said in a tongue in cheek jibe.

To a question on the demand of the bereaved family of contractor Santhosh Patil, who had committed suicide over the demand of commission by the then minister K S Eshwarapa and that the investigation must be entrusted to CID as the family did not get justice from the Basavaraj Bommai government, he said the issue will be discussed with the Law Department and a suitable decision will be taken.

On BJP leader R Ashoka terming the government as ‘’Bin Laden Government,’’ the chief minister said the BJP leader is afraid of his party's imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha polls and has started uttering whatever came to his mind as he doesn’t know what he talks.