House adjourned after charges of graft in excise dept spur row

THe tell legislative gathering was adjourned on wed, after it witnessed a sustained perturbation by Bharatiya Janata company (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) legislators regarding demands for the resignation of excise minister RB Timmapur over large-scale corruption allegations concerning his department.The protest followed an overnight sit-in inside the Vidhana Soudha by BJP legislators, including state president BY Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition in the assembly, R Ashoka. The demonstration began Tuesday after Timmapur declined to resign.The LoP alleged that irregularities in liquor licensing and departmental transfers had reached nearly ₹6,000 crore, citing claims attributed to a wine merchants’ association. He said he had submitted three pen drives containing audio recordings purportedly involving an excise deputy commissioner discussing commission payments.“I’m asking the minister to resign now,” Ashoka said, adding, “Let the inquiry happen. If he’s cleared in three months, bring him back.”He also criticised chief minister Siddaramaiah for not responding to the allegations and questioned whether the alleged funds were being used for political purposes.Speaking outside the assembly, information technology minister Priyank Kharge snubbed the opposition’s demand for Timmapur’s resignation, saying no evidence had been produced despite the issue being raised repeatedly. “Where is the evidence that they have been talking about? Where is the crime and the proceeds of the crime they are talking about? Nothing has been shown or given,” he claimed.He said an officer’s claim did not automatically establish ministerial responsibility. “Just because an officer has claimed that we have to pay the entire hierarchy, it doesn’t mean that the minister should resign. Everyday such allegations would come under the BJP regime.”Kharge said the government was open to debate if evidence was produced. “So, place evidence. We are ready to discuss and debate and Timmapur is very clear; one shred of evidence and he will resign,” he added.Rejecting any wrongdoing on his part, Timmapur disputed the credibility of the merchants’ body cited in the allegations. “All excise ministers have faced allegations,” the minister said. “The federation of wine merchants, whose allegations are being used against me, doesn’t even exist. It hasn’t existed for the last 20 years. Its so-called president Guruswamy holds two excise licenses. Let him state how much [bribe] he has paid,” he claimed.The minister added that he had introduced counselling-based transfers, avoided executive postings for tainted officials, barred postings in native districts and transferred officers who had served more than five years in Bengaluru.