Bengaluru. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, while responding to PM Narendra Modi’s allegations, has said that if the allegations in the excise case are proved, he will retire from politics. PM Modi had alleged in an election rally in Akola that the Congress government of Karnataka had collected Rs 700 crore from the liquor traders of the state and sent it for expenditure in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Modi had said that wherever there is a Congress government, it becomes an ATM for the state party and the royal family (Gandhi family). Modi had said that nowadays Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana have become his ATMs. Modi had also said that you can only imagine how much Congress will loot if it wins the elections.
On this allegation of PM Modi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has said that lying is not a new thing for PM Modi. Siddaramaiah said that according to Modi, the Excise Department of Karnataka sent Rs 700 crore for the Maharashtra elections. He retorted and asked, from where will the Excise Department get Rs 700 crore? Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa also hit back at this statement of Siddaramaiah. Yediyurappa said in an interview with ANI that PM Modi has rightly said that the Congress government has taken money from liquor traders of Karnataka and sent it for Maharashtra elections. Yediyurappa said that the amount that Congress looted Karnataka cannot be imagined.
Let us tell you that the Liquor Traders Association of Karnataka had written a letter to Raj Bhavan cornering Excise Minister RB Thimmapur. In this letter, liquor traders alleged that the Excise Minister takes bribe for transfer of officers. Besides, the officers have also been accused of taking bribe from liquor shops. In the letter sent by the liquor traders’ association to Raj Bhavan, it has been said that funds for elections are collected through bribery and money laundering in the office of Excise Minister RB Thimmapur. An allegation of taking Rs 16 crore for the transfer of senior officers was also made. Liquor traders have also alleged that a bribe of Rs 30 to 70 lakh was taken for granting CL7 bar license. He has alleged that 1000 illegal licenses were given in the last one year. In this way, the liquor businessmen of Karnataka have alleged that the amount of bribe was Rs 300 to 700 crores.
