Hassan: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday that his government will get the bitcoin scam re-investigated.
Speaking to the media in Hassan district after participating in the Kempe Gowda Jayanti, Siddaramaiah added, “We (state government) will investigate the bitcoin scandal.”
“We will also investigate the scams of the previous BJP government. Four medical colleges were built and there are allegations of illegalities over purchase of health equipment. This is going to be investigated. We will also get the 40 per cent commission scam of the previous BJP government probed,” he said.
Congress and the Contractors’ Association have alleged that the previous BJP government took 40 per cent commission in all the government projects floated through tenders in Karnataka.
The Contractors’ Association had written a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had slammed Modi and the previous BJP government in the state over allegations of taking commission in all government projects which was also a major poll issue before the recent Karnataka Assembly elections.
Siddaramaiah said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were allegations of illegalities in purchases made in the health sector.
He also added that the incident of more than 30 persons dying due to the shortage of oxygen in Chamarajanagar district hospital during Covid-19 pandemic would also be probed.
“Then State Health Minister, K. Sudhakar, said that in the beginning there were only two deaths reported in the incident. Later, the tragedy came to light. We will investigate this,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister also added that the PSI recruitment scam which is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would be expedited further and the guilty would be punished.
Sources say that the bitcoin scam had taken place after the arrest of international hacker Srikanth aka Sriki by the Central Crime Branch police in Bengaluru.
It was alleged that using the accused hacker, the ruling BJP leaders had amassed huge money by allowing him to commit the scam in custody during 2020.
The police had arrested the accused while allegedly selling drugs.
The probe revealed that Srikanth had siphoned off Rs 11 crore by hacking into online gaming companies and government web portals.
The accused had allegedly converted the money into bitcoins and carried out drug peddling in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Congress In-Charge Randeep Singh Surjewala earlier, in his series of tweets attacked the BJP’s central leadership as well as former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the bitcoin scam.
“What is the role and responsibility of Basavaraj Bommai? (who was the Home Minister in-charge at that time) and others in the state government?” Surjewala had asked, causing embarrassment to BJP.
The bitcoin scam was discussed while BJP leaders had hit out at their own leaders for the adjustment politics.
BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu Assembly constituency, Pratap Simha, had said, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made hue and cry about the scam when he was the Opposition leader and now after coming to power he has gone silent. Is this not adjustment politics?”
State Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, had recently said that he would get the bitcoin scam re-investigated.
