Karnataka Court Summons CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy Shivakumar, and Rahul Gandhi Over ‘40% Commission’ Allegations

GG News Bureau
Bengaluru, 26th Feb. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have been summoned by a court over allegations of a “40 per cent commission” scheme purportedly orchestrated by the previous BJP government.

These allegations, which gained prominence during the Karnataka Assembly elections last year, were leveraged by the Congress party as a central component of their campaign strategy. In a bid to highlight these accusations, Congress launched the ’40 per cent Sarkara’ website, which aimed to shed light on the purported prevalence of a 40 per cent commission rate during the BJP’s tenure. The website, bolstered by posters featuring QR codes redirecting users to the platform, was championed by the Congress party.

The legal summons follows a complaint filed by BJP lawyer Vinod Kumar against the implicated Congress leaders. They are slated to appear before a special MP/MLA court on March 28 to address the allegations.

Simultaneously, the Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to expedite its investigation into the claims within a six-week timeframe.

In a related development, three months subsequent to assuming power, the Congress government had initiated a judicial probe into the accusations.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has taken aim at the Karnataka government, lambasting the Congress regime and alleging that it engages in a 50 per cent commission scheme, surpassing the purported corruption of the previous BJP administration.

Joshi’s critique comes in the wake of damning accusations leveled by Congress leader and former minister B Shivaramu, who has alleged corruption within his own party. Shivaramu’s assertions highlight a perceived deterioration in the anti-corruption stance of the Congress, which had vehemently criticized the BJP government for similar malfeasance during its tenure.