Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 2: Former chief minister of Karnataka and JD(S) state president, H D Kumaraswamy, has accused minister, Tanveer Sait, of collecting bribe of Rs 3 crore from library department staff with the promise of raising their pay. He also said that a special unit functioning in the office of the chief minister has been working to bury cases of corruption in the government level by seeing that these incidents do not go public, and that retired police officer, Kempaiah, is heading this unit.

Addressing a press conference at his residence here on Sunday April 30, Kumaraswamy said that as soon as allegations of corruption come into the open, Kempaiah gets busy inviting those who make these allegations, talk to them, and settle the issue before they get out of hand. He stated that Tanveer Sait, minister for education and library, had collected money from the library supervisors for hiking their pay. "Rs 3 crore has already been paid to him. The concerned are under pressure from the office of the chief minister not to release the CD containing minster's conversation on this issue," he alleged.

H D Kumaraswamy

Kumaraswamy pointed out that Kempaiah had camped at Gundlupet and Nanjangud for 15 days during the bypoll. "In the past, Kempaiah had managed election in Varuna constituency, Mysuru on behalf of chief minister, Siddaramaiah, who was the Congress candidate there. An officer who had seized the money being used for the election during this election was suspended the very next day after Siddaramaiah rose to power. He ensured that the officer spent two years without any official designation," he stated.

The JD(S) leader said that he has got information that a legislator had told the chief minister that it would be difficult to win assembly election in his constituency if an influential party leader leaves Congress. "I learn from sources that the chief minister told him to spend Rs 12 to 13 crore he received as commission for funds released for the development of his constituency. This speaks volumes about rampant corruption in administration," he stated.

Kumaraswamy dismissed reports of electoral understanding having been reached between Congress and JD(S) for 154 constituencies. He said that his party had not given any authority to Siddaramaiah to take decisions on behalf of his party, and that his party leaders are not bonded labourers of Siddaramaiah. He said he would be taking part in the protest of library supervisors being held on Tuesday. "As per my information, several lady library supervisors had to pledge their ornaments to pay bribe. The chief minister will be answerable once the contents of the CD are leaked," he added.