Karnataka CM questions survey terming state 'most corrupt'

Questioning the veracity of a survey by a think-tank that Karnataka was the "most corrupt state" in the country, a livid Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday dubbed it "politically motivated".

"The person who organised the survey is a beneficiary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. How can a survey of about 2,000 people reflect the opinion of six crore population in the state," Siddaramaiah said at a media interaction here.

The survey conducted by the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Media Studies (CMS) ranked Karnataka as the most corrupt state in India.

Findings of the survey 'CMS-India Corruption Study', released on April 28 said over 33 per cent of the households in the state believe the state government was not at all committed to reducing graft.

"Among the households surveyed, 77 per cent said they had to pay bribes for public services, signalling an increase of corruption in the state," it had said.

Asserting that the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had no moral right to level charges against him or his government, Siddaramaiah said its leaders themselves were facing graft charges.

"These people, who were charged with corruption, are releasing a charge sheet against my government. There is no criminal complaint against me in the last four years," he said.

The BJP's state unit on Thursday released a 69-page political charge-sheet, listing 29 failures of the Congress government on the eve of it completing four years of rule in the southern state.

The charge sheet accused the government of failing on all fronts, including law and order, which was not conducive for the people to live in peace.

Terming the charge-sheet against his government a bundle of lies, Siddaramaiah said it was BJP's state unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa who was facing corruption cases and was also jailed during its tenure in the state on graft charges.

Claiming that his government had fulfilled 155 of the 165 promises, made in the party's election manifesto in April 2013, during the last four years, the Chief Minister said the remaining (promises) would be kept in the fifth year of the rule.

The Congress returned to power on its own in May 2013 assembly elections after a decade.

--IANS

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