Siddaramaiah, DKS involved in Rs 417-cr scam: Yeddyurappa

Bengaluru, Oct 21: BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday released documents, alleging a Rs 417-crore scam in the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah serves as the chairman and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar as the vice-chairman.

“This is the biggest loot of public money I have ever seen in my political life,” Yeddyurappa told a press conference here.

In September 2002, KPCL formed a joint venture company with Kolkata-based Eastern Minerals and Trading Agency (EMTA) and was allotted six coal mines at Kiloni, Manoradeep and Baranj in Maharashtra. In August 2014, the Supreme Court cancelled several coal allocations, including the ones made to the KPCL-EMTA joint venture. The apex court levied a fine of Rs 295 per metric tonne of coal that was mined. Accordingly, the additional levy payable was Rs 417 crore.

“The private company was liable to pay Rs 417 crore, but KPCL ended up paying it, although it did not have to,” Yeddyurappa said. “Clearly, there were kickbacks involved. I ask Siddaramaiah, why did you act as an agent of the private company? Will you now resign?”

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao has rubbished the allegations.