From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 15:Stung by the controversy over the awarding of the contract to set up a diagnostic laboratory in the State Government run Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru to the company, Matrix Imaging Solutions India Pvt Limited, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah disclosed that he had asked his son Dr Yathindra to quit the company.
"I don’t want any accusations or allegations that the company in which my son is a co-owner as getting any contracts from the Government even if it was purely on merit,’’ the chief minister said.
Siddaramaiah further declared that he had asked his son not to be part of any company and have business dealings with the Government as long as he was in power.
``Why should I be involved in any controversy or complaints regarding conflict of interest?,'' he asked, even while making it clear that the children of politicians also need to make a living and were free to engage in any trade, profession or business.
It may be recalled that chief minister’s son, Dr Yathindra, had resigned from the company after the awarding of a contract to establish a diagnostic centre at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru became a raging controversy over conflict of interest as the opposition parties had alleged favouritism and nepotism.
The chief minister strongly defended the awarding of the tender to the company and asked “where is the violation of law. My son is a qualified doctor, and an independent man.”
But I still advised him to quit the company as long as I am in power,’’ he said.
No Corruption Charges, Scam-free Government
Siddaramaiah asserted that his three years rule in Karnataka “is scam-free” unlike in the previous BJP government,
``None of the ministers in the Congress Government had to go to jail on charges of corruption,’’ he said pointing out that the scandals and scams during the previous BJP regime were too well-known to be repeated.
On the occasion of completing three years in office, the chief minister released a 140-page booklet on achievements of the Congress government in different sectors and said “transparency” was maintained in the administration and pro-people policies were implemented for welfare of all sections.
“There are no corruption cases against my government. All allegations made by the Opposition parties are totally baseless” he said while reading out some major achievements mentioned in the booklet.
Fully Satisfied
“I am fully satisfied. But I can’t give marks. You have to evaluate my performance” the Chief Minister told journalists in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Recalling the number of ministers and legislators, who had to go to jail during the previous BJP regime, he alleged that the BJP leaders such as B S Yeddyurappa and JagadishShettar has been making false allegations against the government to tarnish his image in the public.
There were no substance in their allegations and they were politically motivated, he said.
Siddaramaiah, accompanied by his loyalists, said the party would go to polls in 2018 under his leadership and return to power. Many beneficiaries of schemes had lauded the Government’s people-friendly policies.
Out of 165 promises mentioned in the poll manifesto in 2013, more than 120 were implemented. The remaining promises would be implemented during the remaining two years, he said.
Comparing the budgetary allocations to 13 sectors during the previous BJP government and his government, he observed that the Congress government had incurred budgetary expenditure of Rs. 4.13 lakh crore during 2013-16 against Rs 3.39 lakh crore during the five year rule of the BJP (2008-13).