K'taka BJP MLCs stage protest against Cong govt, release alleged 'rate cards' for posts

Bengaluru : BJP and JD (S) MLCs in Karnataka staged a protest before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the premises of the Vidhana Soudha on Friday, condemning alleged rampant corruption by the Congress government.

The Opposition BJP and JD(S) MLCs raised placards showing rate card (bribe) allegedly fixed by the Congress government for various government posts.

They raised slogans and hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for promoting corruption at every step of the governance.

BJP MLC C.T. Ravi while addressing the media after the protest said that the 'corrupt' Congress government had fixed the rate card for every government post which has been displayed by the BJP and JD (S) MLCs to expose the ruling state government.

"We are reaching out to the people through media by staging a protest and exhibiting rate cards of the Congress government for different posts. This could be cross-checked by anyone. The mirror is not needed to see the injury on the hand. Likewise, there is no necessity to investigate the corruption by the Congress and it is very much evident," C.T. Ravi added.

"Anyone can check the facts on the ground with the rate card exhibited in the protest. If someone has caste back-up, he might get a 10 per cent discount for postings. It is confirmed that the rate card has been fixed to mint money," he alleged.

"In the Urban Development Department, they have fixed Rs 100 for one square foot for Floor Area Ratio for builders, for anyone to get a change of land use done, Rs 25 lakh is fixed for one acre," BJP MLC Ravi said.

In the police department, for the posting of police Inspector Rs 50 lakh to 1 crore is fixed depending upon the location. For the post of Assistant Commissioner of Police, between Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 crore has to be paid, Ravi added.

For the post of Assistant Engineer Rs 20 to Rs 25 lakh, for the post of AEE between Rs 25 to Rs 50 lakh is fixed. Rs 50 to Rs 75 lakh fixed for the Executive Engineer (EE), and for the Chief Engineer (CE) the rates are fixed between Rs 1 to Rs 5 crore, Ravi added.

"For the post of Assistant Commissioner in Bengaluru, one has to pay between Rs 5 to Rs 7 crore," Ravi said.

"In the Excise Department, for the post of Inspector Rs 50 lakh is fixed, the post of Sub Registrar in the Regional Transport Office is auctioned and there is no fixed rate. This is Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's transparent corrupt governance," the BJP MLC added.

"CM Siddaramaiah often claims he does not have a black mark on his career in his 40 years of public life, but, under his governance, there is only rampant corruption," he said.

"We have exposed the corrupt practices in CM Siddaramaiah's rule during the session while presenting facts in the Tribal Welfare Board scam," the BJP MLC added.

"Despite all this, I will leave it to the discretion of people to take a call on CM Siddaramaiah's repeated claim that he has no black mark in his 40 years of political career," he said.