Bengaluru: Pointing a gun at his Congress government in Karnataka, CM Siddaramaiah’s economic advisor and MLA from Yelburga, Basavaraj Rayareddi described the state as “No. 1 in corruption” while at a meeting on Tuesday.
“Karnataka state is number one in corruption, no matter who is in government,” Rayareddi reportedly said at a meeting in Koppal organised by the Regional Imbalance Redressal Committee.
After the comment sparked enough controversy, the MLA took a U-turn and reversed his statement saying that his comments were “misinterpreted” by the media. Basavaraj who was on a back-foot claimed that he was just highlighting the poor quality of public works executed by his and the previous governments.
“While addressing the officials, I stated that the quality of government projects is lacking in Kalyana Karnataka region….I was pointing towards the ways by which the regional imbalance can be addressed. I therefore advised the committee to incorporate my recommendations in its report to ensure high-quality work leaving no room for corruption,” the MLA elucidated.
Rayareddi added that he mentioned that the state had been branded for corruption due to poor quality of work. “I did not allege the present or previous government in this,” he added.
The BJP quickly seized the opportunity, fueling the controversy. The BJP state president BY Vijayendra attacked the chief minister saying, “Under the administration of Siddaramaiah, Karnataka has become synonymous with corruption on the national stage, blemishing the name of state at the international level.
