Will Retire From Politics If Corruption Charges Proved: DK Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said he would retire from politics if it is proved that he has taken commission (bribe).

Hitting out at former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and former minister R Ashoka for accusing him of collecting commission, he said he sought to know whether the two BJP leaders would resign if their allegations prove false.

"I will retire from politics today itself if I have taken commission from anyone. But will Bommai and Ashoka announce their political retirement if they (allegations) prove wrong?" Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, said the investigation into the various works taken up by the BBMP will cover all aspects and not just one department.

Meanwhile, Bommai told PTI that the Congress government is indulging in severe corruption in the entire state, especially in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Metropolitan Bengaluru Municipal Corporation).

"The Contractors' Association has gone to the Governor and given a representation, they tweeted to Rahul Gandhi also and they have met us also. So we have taken up their cause," he said.

"There is deep, open corruption going on. No payments have been made to the contractors for the past three months. They are citing some inquiry as a reason (for stalling payments). Let them do the inquiry. We are not stopping them. Let them do an inquiry and hang the guilty but genuine people who have worked for the past six months, there is no payment happening," Bommai said.

According to him, he had released a payment of Rs 650 crore in April this year when he was chief minister.

Bommai said the property tax collected by the BBMP should be given to the contractors who completed works genuinely.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)