Karnataka: MP Tejasvi Surya finds communal twist, CM Yediyurappa calls probe

KARNATAKA CHIEF Minister B S Yediyurappa Wednesday ordered the police’s crime department to analyze allegations raised by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and two occasion MLAs, together with Surya’s uncle, of a rip-off within the Bengaluru municipal company’s mattress allotment system for Covid sufferers – the MP and MLAs additionally questioned the presence of 17 Muslim employees amongst 205 within the system.
While Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Sandeep Patil mentioned two police complaints have been filed and 4 individuals, together with a lady, arrested to this point, Surya’s allegations left the BJP authorities red-faced after senior Congress leaders congratulated the MP and attacked the administration.
The allegations, which have been raised Tuesday, additionally led to a joint commissioner within the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), Sarfaraz Nawaz, discovering himself on the centre of a social media backlash. Taking to Facebook, Nawaz mentioned he was not concerned with the allocation and was dealing with Covid Care Centres and strong waste administration.
“I am completely pained because a communal angle is given to this issue by blaming me who has no knowledge and concern with that department,” the BBMP official mentioned. On Wednesday, Surya clarified that he didn’t take Nawaz’s identify and apologised to the official.
Police have recognized two of these arrested as Netravathi and Rohit Kumar. They mentioned the arrests have been primarily based on a tip-off that the 2 have been performing as brokers for reserving beds in Bengaluru.
On Tuesday, Surya, who’s being groomed by a piece within the BJP for a bigger political function, claimed to have unravelled a rip-off that has led to a scarcity of beds.
“There is a nexus of certain BBMP officers, Arogya Mitras (hospital liaison officers) and certain outside agents who have created a bribe for bed scam. Beds are blocked in the names of asymptomatic patients without the knowledge of the patients who are at home. Thereafter the agents speak to the people in the war room (for bed allocation) and get the blocked bed allotted to people who are willing to pay,” the MP mentioned.

“More than 4,065 cases have come to light following our analysis where booked beds have got unblocked. A bed is blocked for 12 hours and afterwards it is sold — if unsold the bed is unblocked,” Surya mentioned.
Later, considered one of a number of movies launched by the MP’s crew confirmed Surya, his uncle Ravi Subramanya and Sathish Reddy — each are MLAs in south Bengaluru — questioning employees within the BBMP’s south zone struggle room on the presence of 17 Muslims amongst employees on the facility.
“Who are these people, who recruited them, how were they recruited?” the video reveals Surya asking. “Have you recruited people for a madrasa or for the city corporation?” it reveals Subramanya asking. “Is it a Haj Bhavan list?” Reddy is seen asking.
State Congress chief D Okay Shivakumar congratulated Surya, Reddy and Subramanya “for exposing corruption in bed allocation by their party’s government and corporation”. “They should immediately name the BJP minister responsible for making people suffer so much,” he mentioned.

Senior occasion chief and ex-CM Siddaramaiah mentioned it’s “really unfortunate and insensitive on the part of” Surya “to communalise the issue”.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai promised motion and mentioned the federal government will begin a day by day bulletin on mattress positions within the state’s hospitals for Covid remedy.