Bangalore: Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of Karnataka, claimed on Thursday that charges of taking 40 percent commission for clearing bills are politically motivated.

He said: "Charges must include specifics and supporting documentation. Without it, only irrational news releases are issued. When I first met Kempanna, I told him the same thing. He was requested to provide testimony." His comments followed Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah's call for an investigation into allegations of accepting a 40% commission in the State Legislative Assembly.

He advised contacting the Lokayukta to investigate similar occurrences.

"The Karnataka High Court recently ordered that the Lokayukta be given the authority of the Anti-corruption Bureau. Anyone in the institution has the authority to file a complaint against another person. However, political statements are made," he said.

When criticising LoP Siddaramaiah, he said, "There are other associations of contractors working on BBMP, PWD, and other organisations' projects in addition to Kempanna's Contractors' Association. But after meeting Siddaramaiah, everyone realised the purpose behind the media claims. They say MLAs of all parties are involved in corruption."

He emphasised that the clearing of bills was completely transparent.

"When paying up outstanding invoices, complete openness and seniority are carefully observed. There are numerous Contractors Associations, and it is strictly forbidden to award more than 5% of contracts to any one of them. Small contractors' unpaid bills have been paid. The government has cleaned up the bills while introducing seniority and transparency. Despite doing all of this, they are still levelling accusations" he said.

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