- I-T raids on Bengaluru civil contractors unearth Rs 42 crore unaccounted money
- The BJP and JDS have alleged that the cash is a part of commissions for BBMP contract works by the congresses.
- The raids are underway at the houses of other contractors in the city and a huge recovery of money is sparking a political row in both Karnataka and Telangana.
- The BJP, which is in the opposition, alleged that the Congress party was trying to divert money to poll-bound Telangana.
- Meanwhile, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah refuted the allegations.
- Telangana ministers K Taraka Ramarao and Harish Rao also slammed the Karnataka Congress and called it a ‘50% commission government.’
A series of searches conducted by the Income Tax department on properties linked to civil contractors in Bengaluru has resulted in the seizure of Rs 42 crore in cash at the residence of the son of a contractor who has links to the ruling Congress party.
The raid has resulted in allegations by the Opposition parties which said the funds are a part of commissions for BBMP contract works.
The Income Tax department has been conducting searches over the last two days at properties belonging to several contractors who carry out civil construction works for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), government sources aware of the searches said.
Among the contractors who have been raided are Ambikapathi R, the husband of former Congress councilor from the R T Nagar region Ashwathamma, as well as Hemanth Kumar, Pradeep R, and Pramodh Kumar.
The searches have reportedly resulted in the discovery of as many as 23 cartons of cash valued at Rs 42 crore at the home of a son of the contractor Ambikapathi, police sources said. The raids are underway at the houses of other contractors in the city and a huge recovery of money is sparking a political row in both Karnataka and Telangana.
According to the report, a total amount of ₹42 crore with ₹500 denominations that were bundled in 23 boxes were recovered from a contractor in Bengaluru. However, the Income Tax department is yet to announce the official recovered amount from their multiple raids across the city.
The BJP, which is in the opposition, alleged that the Congress party was trying to divert money to poll-bound Telangana. BJP leader and former deputy CM Ashwath Narayan said, “The amount was collected by the Congress party to send it to Telangana for upcoming polls. The Congress government has made Karnataka their ‘ATM’ for polls in other states. This is just a sample amount, and a bigger amount is yet to be recovered. I urge contractors to speak up on the issue.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah refuted the allegations. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Siddaramaiah said, “No state will ask for money from other states, and we won’t give our money to other states. The BJP is just making baseless allegations to draw unnecessary attention.”
The Karnataka Contractors’ Association president Kempenna said that the contractor had not been involved in any contract work for eight years and said that he had several other businesses, involving agriculture and stone crushing.
Telangana ministers K Taraka Ramarao and Harish Rao also slammed the Karnataka Congress and called it a ‘50% commission government.’
(With inputs from agencies)
