Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah met AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal in Delhi amid internal Congress turmoil over housing scam allegations. Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan denied corruption charges, while MLA BR Patil demanded an inquiry.
New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary KC Venugopal in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss key matters concerning the state and party affairs.
In a post on X, Siddaramaiah wrote, “Met AICC General Secretary Shri @kcvenugopalmp in New Delhi today and discussed several important matters.”
Congress government faces internal dissent and corruption charges
The meeting comes at a time when the Congress government in Karnataka is navigating various challenges, including corruption charges on its minister by party's sitting MLAs, upcoming MLC nominations, and governance matters such as the implementation of welfare schemes.
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Meanwhile, Karnataka Housing, Minorities and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan dismissed allegations of corruption in the allocation of houses under government schemes on Tuesday and said he is “not the kind of poor man who survives by taking money meant for the poor.”
Khan says he will resign if bribery charges are proven
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Karnataka Minister said he would step down voluntarily if it is proven that he took money in exchange for house allotments.
Khan pointed out that taking money for poor people's houses is an unpardonable offence and that there is no scope for such actions in his department. An inquiry will be ordered regarding the allegations made by senior Congress MLA BR Patil. If anyone is found guilty after the investigation, strict action will be taken. He added that he would also speak directly with Patil.
He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been fully informed about the issue. Since he was on a tour and couldn't respond earlier, he has held a meeting with the officials and gathered all the information.
Phone call leak adds fuel to housing scam allegations
After the Karnataka government raised the minority housing allotment quota from 10 pc to 15 pc, Congress leader BR Patil had a telephone audio leak where he was raising allegations of corruption in the allotment of houses.
Patil is also supposed to meet with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on June 25, on the latter's invitation. Notably, party MLA Raju Kage also backed Patil's allegations, claiming that it "wouldn't be surprising if I resign within 2 days."
