Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday said there was no substance in the allegations made by Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah that the government had siphoned off funds during the purchase of COVID-19 equipment. He challenged the former Chief Minister to verify documents by coming to the State Secretariat.
“We will make arrangements for Mr. Siddaramaiah to verify documents at the Vidhana Soudha,” Mr. Yediyurappa said, dismissing the allegations as “baseless and far from truth”.
Last week, Mr. Siddaramaiah had alleged that the State government had misappropriated funds to the tune of over ₹2,000 crore through the purchase of COVID-19 equipment by paying inflated rates.
Mr. Yediyurappa told presspersons that the Congress leader had been making allegations without verification of documents and files. However, the government would take stern action against officials if they were found misappropriating funds.
Sriramulu reacts
Meanwhile, Health Minister B. Sriramulu on Monday responded sharply to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks by asking him to cooperate with the government’s efforts to handle the COVID-19 situation.
“The State is in a crisis and people are in trouble. It’s time for working. Work for people of the State and allow us to work. This is the minimum cooperation I seek on behalf of the people,” Mr. Sriramulu tweeted. In another tweet, the Minister took a dig at Congress leaders and said: “Before making allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the B.S. Yediyurappa government, it is better to focus on your party’s Raja-Maharaja (king-prince) about the allegations being faced from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.”
The tweets were in response to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s criticism of the government functioning on Sunday.
Besides accusing of financial irregularities in COVID-19 related purchases, Mr. Siddaramaiah had slammed the Chief Minister for frequently changing protocols, inefficient management, delayed procurements, and inflated prices that hurt public health and confidence. He also took a dig at three Ministers being allotted specific role in COVID-19 management.
‘False information’
Meanwhile, in another tweet, Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar attacked a Congress worker for allegedly spreading false information on social media.
“All of us are warriors in the fight against COVID-19. People will never forgive lies being spread for petty politics against the State government and corona warriors, and trying to divide people at a time when society has to remain united,” the Minister tweeted.
In another tweet, he asked people not to panic but take precautions. “It’s better to seek medical help in the initial stage. Seek the advice of doctors in any nearby fever clinic. It is also common to experience cold, fever and cough during monsoon,” he tweeted.
