On 23rd February, Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, and other prominent figures have been summoned by a court over allegations of a “40% commission” scheme during the previous BJP Government’s tenure in Karnataka. The accusations, raised by the Congress party, suggest that a significant percentage of funds were being siphoned off under the BJP regime. The court’s summons comes after a complaint was filed against the Congress leaders regarding advertisements and campaigns centered on these allegations.
Bengaluru, Karnataka: On February 23rd in Bengaluru, a City Court issued summonses for former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to appear in person before it on March 28th. The summonses are in relation to a case filed by the BJP.
Special judge J Preeth also ordered the initiation of a criminal case against the accused individuals, which includes the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.
These prominent figures have been summoned by the court in response to the allegations made by the Congress party regarding the previous BJP Government’s purported involvement in a “40 percent commission” scheme.
In the lead-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections last year, the Congress party utilized these accusations to criticize the BJP Government, even displaying posters with the slogan “PayCM” featuring the former Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai’s image.
Moreover, the posters included a QR code directing individuals to a website called ’40 percent Sarkara’, created by the Congress party to highlight their claim that a 40 percent commission rate was the norm during the BJP regime.
Background
A complaint was filed against the Congress leaders by Vinod Kumar, a lawyer associated with the BJP’s legal unit, regarding the advertisements. They have been directed to appear before a special MP/MLA court on March 28th.
Last week, the Karnataka High Court instructed the State Government to conclude its investigation into the “40 percent commission” allegations within six weeks.
After the Congress Government acquired power in Karnataka in May last year, initiated a judicial inquiry into its accusations against the previous BJP government. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi criticized the Karnataka Government last week, stating that instead of 40 percent, the Congress regime takes 50 percent.
This statement followed allegations of corruption made by Congress leader and former minister B Shivaramu against his own party. Shivaramu asserted that although the party had criticized the previous BJP administration in the state for corruption, the situation had worsened under the Congress.
