BJP state president and MLA BY Vijayendra on Tuesday stepped up his attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government, demanding a comprehensive investigation into what he described as a massive ₹6,000-crore excise scam in the state. He said the seriousness of the allegations warranted either a probe by a sitting High Court judge or an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation to ensure credibility and accountability.
Speaking to the media, Vijayendra said the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) had jointly organised a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Vidhana Soudha to draw attention to what they alleged was large-scale corruption under the Congress government. The demonstration saw participation from several senior opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, BJP leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, JD(S) leaders Suresh Babu and Bhojegowda, along with several MLAs and MLCs from both parties.
Vijayendra alleged that the controversy had widened to such an extent that even the Excise Minister and members of his family had been named in connection with the scam. Despite the gravity of these claims, he accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of deliberately preventing any discussion on the issue in the state Assembly, thereby undermining democratic accountability and transparency.
He further accused the state government of deliberately encouraging higher liquor consumption as a means of increasing revenue. According to Vijayendra, excise collection targets had been raised by nearly 35 percent over the past two-and-a-half years, allegedly to generate funds for fulfilling the government’s guarantee schemes. He claimed that this revenue-driven approach had come at the cost of public welfare and social responsibility.
Elaborating on the allegation, Vijayendra said liquor was now being sold even in grocery shops in rural areas and that illegal liquor sales were being allowed to flourish unchecked. He claimed such practices were being tolerated, if not encouraged, solely to bolster the state’s finances, calling it a dangerous and unethical policy direction.
In a sharp remark, Vijayendra said Karnataka had never witnessed a government that was so “shameless and disgraceful,” accusing the ruling dispensation of abandoning moral responsibility in its pursuit of money and political survival.
He also alleged deep-rooted corruption within the excise department, claiming that officials were being forced to pay hefty bribes to secure postings and favourable transfers. On these grounds, he demanded the immediate resignation of the Excise Minister and reiterated his insistence on an independent and impartial investigation into the alleged scam.
The BJP leader further accused the Congress government of showing disrespect to the Governor during the joint session of the state legislature. He alleged that instead of acknowledging the impropriety, the government was attempting to justify such behaviour. Vijayendra also claimed that in the past two-and-a-half years, the government had failed to introduce any significant new development programmes and had instead weakened administrative systems through corruption and misgovernance.
Earlier, the Karnataka Wine Merchants’ Association had also levelled allegations of a ₹6,000-crore scam in the state excise department during the tenure of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. The association stated that it planned to write to senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to bring the alleged irregularities to their notice.
Responding to these charges, Excise Minister RB Timmapur dismissed the allegations outright, asserting that there was no scam at all. He questioned the basis of the claims and said the accusations were politically motivated and lacked any substantive evidence.
