Bengaluru: Karnataka IT and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday levelled serious accusations against the previous BJP government, alleging a Rs 3,000 crore COVID-19 procurement scam involving former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and then Health Minister B Sreeramulu.
According to Priyank, an interim report by the Justice John Michael D’Cunha committee, which was established to scrutinise the BJP’s handling of the pandemic, has revealed that officials ignored more affordable medical supplies, opting instead for overpriced contracts.
The Minister claimed that Yediyurappa and Sreeramulu "made money off dead bodies," and pointed to a March 2020 directive to purchase 1.2 million PPE kits at an alleged inflated rate of Rs 2,117.5 each.
Priyank criticised the previous administration for favouring Chinese-made products, allegedly directed by then Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "Make in India" campaign.
Priyank promised further disclosures from the D’Cunha committee, which, he said, has only just begun revealing the extent of the scandal.