Irrigation department is leaking scams: Ex-CM

Hubballi: Water resources minister M B Patil, who has taken the lead in the stir for separate religion tag for Lingayats, proved the target of state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa's ire with the former chief minister alleging rampant corruption in the department headed by the minister. 

He told the media during 'Parivarthana Yatra' in Bagalkot on Wednesday that contractors were paying off officers of the department a part of the amount due to them for execution of projects in order to receive funds due to them. He dared Mr Patil to make public records related to scams listed by him. Besides, the state government has been drained of financial resources and pushed to the brink of bankruptcy resulting in shortage of funds to pay salaries of personal assistants of legislators, he added. 

The Lingayat strongman said his party would bring to light scams of various ministries on assuming power, post Assembly elections in 2018. Expressing confidence that his party would be voted to power with a thumping majority, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, would attend the Hubballi leg of 'Parivarthana Yatra' on December 21.   

Ridiculing Congress leaders for their march from Hospet to Kudal Sangam prior to the previous Assembly polls, the leader charged that the state government has failed to allocate Rs 10,000 crores every year as promised in the Congress manifesto. 

Demanding a white paper on work executed as part of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP), he said the state government released only Rs 6,400 crores for the project during five years.