In a major embarrassment to the ruling Congress, the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association (KSCA) has claimed that corruption in some departments in the Siddaramaiah-led government had “doubled” compared with the previous BJP regime.
The KSCA in its three-page letter on September 25, addressed to Mr Siddaramaiah, said, “When you were Leader of the Opposition, you assured us that after you come to power, no commission will be sought by your government to clear pending bills. But, we regret to inform you that the commission has doubled now in certain departments compared with the previous government.”
Eight departments
The letter by KSCA president R. Manjunath and general secretary G.M. Ravindra said that despite several rounds of talks, till now, eight departments have not cleared pending bills.
This is for the first time that the Congress government, which came to power in the 2023 elections on an anti-corruption plank, has received a written letter from the KSCA, alleging corruption in the ruling dispensation.
They alleged that State government institutions such as Nirmiti Kendra and the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (KRIDL) award projects to “supporters or followers of elected representatives and party workers”.
These followers and workers then hand over their projects to senior contractors in exchange for commission. “It is difficult for us senior contractors to ensure quality when works are subcontracted to us like this,” they said.
Letter to Modi
In July 2021, when the BJP led by Basavaraj Bommai was in power, the KSCA wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining that contractors were forced to pay “40% commission” to Ministers, elected representatives, and officials. The Congress had then launched a campaign against corruption and it was seen as a major reason for the defeat of the Bommai-led government in the 2023.
Mr. Manjunath and Mr. Ravindra said the KSCA had been urging the government to release pending bills worth more than ₹30,000 crore. The Chief Minister had given many assurances on clearing the pending bills, the letter said and added, “so far we have had no benefit from your government”.
According to the KSCA, government departments have not been following seniority for clearing pending bills. “They are deploying their own formula to give special lines of credit (LOC) to contractors, and only 15-20% of the pending bill amount is cleared once in three months,” the letter stated.
The KSCA also accused the Municipal Administration, Urban Development, and Labour departments of corrupt tender practices.
Exceeding orders, officials were converting tenders into packages and awarding contracts to powerful contractors of their choice. It was alleged that the Ministers concerned had not been doing anything to stop it.
Published – September 27, 2025 10:22 pm IST
