Bengaluru, 20 Feb

BJP leader R Ashoka called the government “corrupt” and said the ruling Congress had caused “financial anarchy” over non-payment to the contractors. His comments on Friday come after PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said that commissions were there “today and will be there tomorrow”.

The remarks come against the backdrop of protests announced by the Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA), which had called for a strike on 6 March, when the government is set to table the budget, over pending dues worth Rs 37,000 crore.

“Contractors are on the streets because this bankrupt Congress government has pushed them to the wall,” Ashoka alleged on X on Friday.

“Why are irrigation, PWD, housing, urban development and BBMP bills pending for years?” he asked. “Why are small contractors being crushed while a select few are favoured?”

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly said that if work stopped in April as the KSCA had threatened, the blame would fall squarely on the Congress.

“This is not governance. This is financial anarchy,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Jarkiholi has gone to New Delhi, triggering speculations that he may meet the High Command over the power tussle within the ruling Congress.