Bengaluru: Karnataka Horticulture Minister Munirathna has sent a legal notice to the the Karnataka Contractors Association, which accused him of threatening to suspend officials if they failed to collect money from contractors.
In a Rs 50 crore defamation notice, the Minister has given the association seven days to publish full-page advertisements in local and national papers with an apology or hold a press conference apologising over their allegations.
“My reputation has been affected by the allegations of the contractors. My mental health also has been impacted,” he said.
The face-off between Muniratna and contractors was triggered after Association President D Kempanna met Congress leader Siddaramaiah before dragging the Minister’s name, alleging that he threatened to suspend executive engineers if they fail to collect money from contractors.
The BJP government in Karnataka has dismissed the charge as baseless.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the allegations were politically motivated and slammed the Congress for demanding a judicial probe.
“I demand details and evidence for allegations made; if given, will an order inquiry in 24 hours,” he stated.
