Bengaluru: Continuing his attack on the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka, senior Congress MLA Raju Kage, who represents the Kagawada Assembly constituency, said on Tuesday that he had raised his issues with the Chief Minister and Deputy CM, but there was no response.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Raju Kage, who had earlier warned that he is ready to resign over the non-issuance of a work order for the past two years, reiterated that he is deeply disheartened by the current state of affairs.
“No development work is taking place in my constituency. I have been straightforward and have been serving the people for 30 years. One IAS officer, Rajender Kumar Kataria, who is the Revenue Department Principal Secretary, insulted me. I raised the issue in the state Assembly,” Kage said.
“Around 60 MLAs have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding action against this officer. But there has been no response from the CM. Do they want MLAs or these officers? Are they trying to appease the bureaucracy?” he questioned.
“Rajender Kataria insulted me. Sixty MLAs demanded his transfer. I moved a privilege motion in this regard. What action has been taken against him?” Kage asked.
“What about our dignity? This clearly shows the government is prioritising officers over elected representatives. We are not making allegations against all officers. But when no action is taken even after reporting such misconduct, what will these officers think of us?” he added.
“This is what hurts. I am raising this issue because the government has no control over the bureaucracy. Officers are taking years to grant permission for basic matters. Even after fulfilling all conditions and ensuring safety, our schools have not been given approval. Why?” he questioned.
When asked why he is making public statements instead of discussing the matter directly with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kage said he has repeatedly raised these concerns with the CM, DyCM and others, but has received no response.
“Ministers are completely inaccessible to MLAs. I even spoke about resigning, as I can no longer tolerate this situation. However, people in my constituency urged me not to resign and assured me they would come to Bengaluru in thousands to stage a protest,” he said.
Meanwhile, another Congress MLA, B.R. Patil, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the State Policy and Planning Commission and had earlier alleged rampant corruption in housing allotments, stated on Tuesday that he would meet CM Siddaramaiah on Wednesday (June 25). “I don’t have any specific demands. Disputes are common in a family,” he remarked.
On Monday, MLA Raju Kage had said that despite the release of funds for development activities in his constituency, no work orders had been issued, forcing him to consider quitting the party.
“I might resign from the party,” he said, sparking political controversy.
(IANS)
