The contractor-official-political class nexus seemed to be tumbling out, even as the Income Tax Department searches on Thursday generated heat in political circles.
Certain tenders awarded in the last few months and technical approvals given to projects in the Irrigation and Public Works departments are said to have come under the I-T investigation scanner.
Searches conducted on the premises belonging to the family of Minor Irrigation Minister C.S. Puttaraju, Hassan-based contractors and Hassan circle PWD executive engineer C.S Manju, the Minister’s nephew, were triggered by a large number of short-term tenders awarded in Mandya, Hassan, and Ramanagaram districts, sources said.
Another nephew of the Minister, Ashok, whose residence was searched in Mysuru, sources said, also executes works as a contractor besides being a zilla panchayat member. The premises of a chief engineer in the Irrigation Department was also searched in Hassan. The BJP had also raised the issue of huge allotment of funds to these districts, during the Belagavi session of the legislature.
In the recent times, sources in the Janata Dal (Secular) said, Mr. Puttaraju and Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna had come closer in executing development works as well as irrigation-related works in the three Vokkaliga-dominant districts since both are done through PWD engineers.
Five contractors Narayan Reddy, Raya Gowda, Ashwath, Abdul Hafeez, and Shivamurthy, sources said, are seen in the close circle of Mr. Revanna.
In the light of Mandya Lok Sabha constituency gaining focus, with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil contesting from this seat against Independent Sumalatha, who is backed by the BJP, Mr. Puttaraju’s role is crucial for the party. “The fact that Mr. Puttaraju was the man in charge of coordinating election preparations for Mr. Nikhil has put him in sharp focus of the investigation team,” said a source in the Minor Irrigation Minister’s close circle.
Modus operandi
Confirming that the focus of searches was on works executed by the PWD, a source in the I-T Department said, “During the 2018 Assembly elections, a modus operandi of making payments to government contractors and then taking a cut in cash from them had been uncovered. The cash was then used to buy votes.”
According to sources, the same modus operandi had begun to resurface in the run-up to the general elections as well.
“It includes allocation of government work orders to certain trusted aides for whom funds would be released on priority in the months preceding the elections.”
The source said intelligence collected showed award of tenders had been fixed in favour of certain select contractors, submission of forged bills by contractors, immediate payment to select contractors, and withdrawal of cash by the contractors which is then passed on to politicians.
‘No Minister, MP or MLA searched’
Though Mr. Puttaraju early on Thursday said the I-T searches were being conducted at his residence at Chinakurali in Mandya district, the department, however, said no Minister, MP or MLA was being searched. The Minister’s family is a Hindu Undivided Family, and the search was part of investigation on one of his nephews, Ashok.