BJP stages stir on corruption in excise dept

OPposition parties BJP and JD(S) on tues staged a dissent on the Vidhana Soudha premises against alleged large-scale depravation within the say excise tax department and also alleged disrespect shown to governor Thaawarchand Gehlot by the state government.The Karnataka Wine Merchants’ Association has accused the state excise department of involvement in what it described as a ₹6,000 crore fraud during the two years of the current government. The association said it would write to senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to draw attention to the alleged irregularities.At the center of the claims are CL-7 bar licences, which are issued to hotels and boarding houses and allow them to serve liquor to customers and residents.Guru Swamy, president of the association, said such licences in Bengaluru allegedly cost between ₹1 crore and ₹2 crore, depending on the area.He alleged that payments were not limited to a single office. “We have informed the chief minister several times, and he said he would call the department officers for a meeting. But we are completely fed up with this system,” he said, claiming that money was routed to the excise minister as well as officials, with rates allegedly fixed by those in charge.Excise minister RB Timmapur rejected the accusations, challenging the association to substantiate its claims. “Is there any proof of these allegations? There is no fraud. I will answer this on the floor of the House. On what basis are they making these claims? Is there any evidence?” he said.The dispute echoes earlier complaints from the same association.In a 2024 letter addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and the Lokayukta, the group alleged that Timmapur was linked to a ₹700 crore case of fraud and sought intervention over what it called large-scale corruption.The letter named several officials, including three deputy commissioners, nine superintendents, 13 deputy superintendents and 20 excise inspectors, as accused. It also claimed that CL-7 licences were issued in exchange for bribes ranging from ₹30 lakh to ₹70 lakh per licence.The BJP’s state unit chief, B.Y. Vijayendra, told reporters, “… ₹6,000-crore fraud case wherein the excise minister and his family members are involved, and proof has emerged. But Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not willing to discuss this in the House.”He added, “An investigation by the CBI or a sitting High Court judge is the only answer…” Vijayendra also accused the government of attempting to deflect attention by creating “drama” and said the party would demand the resignation of the excise minister..