Sandur: Siddu uses scam charges against Yediyurappa, Sriramulu

NT Correspondent

Ballari

Congress sought to turn the tables and use corruption allegations as a cudgel to beat the Opposition BJP in its campaign ahead of the Sandur by-election. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday lambasted BJP bigwigs BS Yediyurappa and B Sriramulu. They were referring to Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao revealing on Saturday that the commission of inquiry led by Justice Michael Cunha had recommended prosecution of the saffron party duo. The charges refer to the alleged Covid scam of 2020 when the BJP State government with Yediyurappa at the helm and Sriramulu as Health Minister are said to have purchased medical items like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), masks, oxygen cylinders and pharmaceutical drugs at exorbitant prices, costing massive losses to the state exchequer.

The allegation here is that there was a quid pro quo in which members of the State government were paid massive bribes by the relevant companies. PPE kits, for instance, were sourced from China and Hong Kong. Moreover, the Congress is also gunning for BJP MP from Chikkaballapur K Sudhakar, who succeeded Sriramulu as Health Minister, alleging that he too was involved in the Covid scam. The Congress has been facing the heat over allegations of corruption pertaining to the Valmiki Corporation illegal money transfer scam and Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) illegal site allotment scam. However, they’re looking to turn the tide against the BJP. Siddaramaiah and Lad also went after Gangavati MLA G Janardhana Reddy, one of the key figures campaigning for the BJP in Sandur. It is to be noted that Reddy has been accused of mining scams in the past.

They bought PPE kits from China: CM In his speech in Metriki village of Sandur taluk in Ballari district, Siddaramaiah accused Yediyurappa and Sriramulu of buying PPE kits from China under suspicious circumstances. “When Yediyurappa was the BJP Chief Minister and Sriramulu was the Health Minister, they carried out corrupt dealings by buying PPE kits from China during Covid (pandemic). Justice Michael Cunha’s commission has held that there is a need to act against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” Siddaramaiah said. “No God will forgive the BJP for carrying out corrupt deeds over the dead bodies of people. You should also not forgive them,” he added.

Labour Minister Santosh Lad – a Sandur taluk native and former local MLA – on the other hand berated Janardana Reddy for being small fry compared to Siddaramaiah. The Sandur Assembly constituency by-poll was necessitated after sitting MLA E Tukaram contested and won from the Ballari Lok Sabha segment earlier in the year. Now, Tukaram’s wife Annapoorna is the Congress candidate taking on the BJP’s Bangaru Hanumanthu.