Bengaluru, November 15 (IANS). The Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka has decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged Covid-19 scam during the previous BJP government. Politics has become heated regarding this. BJP has called it an attempt to divert attention from real issues.
Senior BJP leader and leader of opposition in the assembly R. Ashok said, “We have no problem with the SIT, if anything happens in Karnataka they form the SIT. I want to ask the Congress government about the Kepanna report. The report said that Siddaramaiah has notified the land , But why is there no SIT? Actually they want to implicate Yediyurappa and (then) Minister Ramulu. We hope we will fight and win.”
He further said that CM Siddaramaiah has accepted through his statement that his MLAs are for sale. Being the Chief Minister, the Intelligence Department also comes under him. They should give an account as to who were those 50 MLAs and where did Rs 2,500 crore come from? Siddaramaiah is only trying to divert the issue.
On the question of imposing green cess on drinking water from the river, he said that cess on the river is good, but why not on lakes, why not on ponds, why not on air? We breathe air so why is there no tax on it? After that I will recommend him for the Nobel Prize. The government has no money. They have already imposed taxes on petrol, diesel, registration, deaths and births. Now they are taking such steps.
Actually, the Karnataka government is preparing to impose green cess on water bills. The government has taken this decision to meet the shortage of funds for the conservation of the Western Ghats. The Karnataka government is considering imposing a monthly ‘green cess’ of Rs 2-3 on water bills of all corporations and municipalities supplying drinking water from rivers originating in the Western Ghats.
–IANS
AKS/AKJ
