Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India]: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar responded to the BJP’s protest regarding the state’s Guarantee Implementation Committee, asserting that the committee was formed immediately after the Congress government came to power.
“We formed the guarantee implementation committee as soon as we came to power. It has been about one and a half years since it was formed. Did the BJP wake up just now?” Shivakumar remarked while speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha.
Defending the committee’s purpose, he clarified that it was established to ensure the proper delivery of government-guaranteed schemes and did not infringe upon the rights of MLAs.
“We have not snatched their rights. The rights of MLAs are intact. This committee was created to ensure people are receiving the guarantee schemes efficiently. Interestingly, the BJP, which criticized these guarantees, has now launched similar schemes in several of its states. Karnataka has become a role model in the country,” he added.
Shivakumar also took a swipe at the BJP, drawing comparisons with Maharashtra.
“Did they not appoint RSS workers as personal secretaries of ministers in Maharashtra? Why have they appointed them even though RSS is not a political outfit? In the past, they had appointed an alternative chairman to KRDBA by taking Rs 300 crore. We are only giving an honorarium. We have given responsibilities to our party workers to ensure guarantee schemes reach the people efficiently,” he said.
Addressing speculations about a minister’s involvement in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, Shivakumar dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“It’s just rumors and a BJP game plan. We all attend weddings and public events where we are photographed with many people. Can someone be linked to a minister simply because they’re standing nearby? No minister abets crime,” he said.
He added that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered an internal investigation into possible misuse of protocol rules.
“When I returned from Dubai, I had to remove my ring, watch, and belt at security. I’m surprised how 14 kg of gold was smuggled through such strict security checks,” Shivakumar remarked.