On 18 November 2024, the Lokayukta reportedly cleared the former Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government in Karnataka of allegations related to the so-called “40% commission” case. D Kempanna and R Ambikapathy, the late president and vice-president of the Karnataka State Contractors Association, made the allegations. Both individuals passed away last year due to age-related illnesses and a heart attack, respectively.
Addressing the media, BJP leader R Ashoka criticized the allegations, asserting that no evidence was ever provided to substantiate the claims. “The Lokayukta never received any evidence of the alleged 40 per cent commission the contractors gave. Both Kempanna and Ambikapathy acted as a toolkit of the Congress party and filed the case. But the Lokayukta dismissed the case, saying there was never any evidence to substantiate the claims,” he stated.
Ashoka also accused the Congress of coming to power by making “false claims” and “misleading guarantees” to voters, predicting their eventual political downfall. Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also weighed in, welcoming the Lokayukta’s findings and calling on the Congress government to stop perpetuating what he described as falsehoods. “At least now, I urge the Congress govt to stop spreading lies about the 40 per cent commission,” he stated.
The Karnataka Lokayukta reportedly found no substantial evidence in the complaint, with officials noting that Kempanna had not undertaken any contracts in the past six years, suggesting a lack of basis for his allegations against the BJP. Former Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol echoed these sentiments, asserting that the accusations were politically motivated.
Congress ran a ‘40% Commission Sarkara’ campaign against the BJP in Karnataka but failed to provide any proof of the same to the Lokayukta.
Today, CM Siddaramaiah and his entire family is embroiled in the MUDA scam. Congress Govt is neck deep in corruption.pic.twitter.com/0wxvk3URyM— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 18, 2024
In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed the clean chit as inconclusive, arguing that a lack of evidence does not equate to innocence. “Just because the BJP claims it received a clean chit does not mean no wrong has happened. There are two ways in which a case is dismissed at the courts. One of the ways is that the evidence could not substantiate the wrongdoing,“ he explained. Siddaramaiah also noted that the judicial commission set up to investigate the matter has yet to submit its report.
The controversy dates back to accusations from the Karnataka State Contractors Association, which claimed that BJP officials, including Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa, demanded a 40% commission on government projects. The allegations were amplified by Congress leaders, with Rahul Gandhi labeling the BJP as “the most corrupt party in India” and accusing it of using illicit funds to influence MLAs from other parties. In 2022, the Congress launched its “PayCM” campaign against Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, alleging his government demanded a 40% commission on public works. Posters featuring a QR code and Bommai’s image appeared outside BJP’s Nelamangala headquarters, redirecting to Congress’s “40% Sarkara” website for bribery complaints. Congress took responsibility for the campaign, with leaders calling the BJP government the “most corrupt.” Bommai called it a “fake campaign” to tarnish his and Karnataka’s reputation, ordering an investigation.
Last year, Home Minister Amit Shah challenged the Congress to provide concrete evidence of their claims in court. “They can talk about it and should go to court if they have concrete evidence. Neither there’s any probe nor there’s any case. How will people believe in such baseless allegations?” Shah had said at the time.
The News Minute Peddled Same Propaganda
The News Minute carried a massive propaganda alleging the 40% commission and gave platform to the contractors to air their allegations. They made video after video on this alleged corruption scandal.
In 2023, just before the Karnataka Assembly elections, The News Minute’s Dhanya Rajendran even posed questions on the allegations made by the Contractor’s Association to TN BJP chief Annamalai who was canvassing for the party in Karnataka. She even said, even though an MLA’s son was caught with money, “strangely, there seems to be no way in which the BJP is addressing the problem of corruption.” However, there was no proof to substantiate the allegations made and hence the contractor who made the allegation was sued for defamation by the MLA Muniratna and was arrested.
40% sarkara, PSI scam, injunctions when faced with corruption allegations – what does BJP leader #Annamalai have to say? Watch his exchange with our Editor-in-chief @dhanyarajendran #TNMPollWatch #KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/0c0zhncvkW
— TheNewsMinute (@thenewsminute) May 2, 2023
Dhanya Rajendran did not seem to accept Lokayukta’s findings then and wanted the allegations to be substantiated without proof.
With the Lokayukta’s findings now public, BJP leaders are asserting vindication, while Congress maintains that the absence of evidence does not absolve the previous government of wrongdoing.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
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