An RTI query has revealed that B S Yeddyurappa has spent around Rs 2 crore hosting parties for media and official visitors alike, ever since he came to power. It is also the highest for any state Chief Minister till date
An RTI query has revealed that B S Yeddyurappa has spent around Rs 2 crore hosting parties for media and official visitors alike, ever since he came to power. It is also the highest for any state Chief Minister till date
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Information obtained by Y G Muralidhar, director, Consumer Rights Education & Awareness Trust (CREAT) revealed that the CM was generous enough to show his hospitality 15 times after he assumed office in May 2008. The cost? Rs 34,67,455 to the exchequer.
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| State chief minister B S Yeddyurappa loves hosting parties for the media and his official visitors. |
"One of the noticeable aspects of the Yeddyurappa government is the lavish spending in unwanted areas, while the sectors really in need of funds are neglected," said a senior journalist.
"The CM must keep in mind that he is spending the tax payers' money, but we are happy to attend the parties he hosts."
He was concerned about the habit of offering gifts in such parties that could put journalists in a spot, as they come with an expectation of return compliments.
"Many journalists are not in a position to reject such gifts, as they fear that it will cost them the contacts," he said.
Yeddyurappa was even more lavish in throwing parties for his personal and official visitors. The total expenditure incurred on food and beverages is Rs 19,93,516. It includes formal and informal get-togethers.
While a dinner hosted for 15 members of the 13th finance commission, on August 1, 2009, had the
high cost of Rs 8,65,653, the get-together with the representatives of IT-BT industries is in second place with a cost of Rs 7,63,699.
Interestingly, the least expensive affair is, as far as food is concerned, in his cabinet meetings. Whenever the cabinet met, the chief minister has spent, on an average, Rs 650 for snacks.
I S N Prasad, principal secretary to chief minister, said, "I have to consult the account books before I respond. I think it should be within the stipulated limits, in any case I can't make any statement offhand."
Non-veg joke
Yeddyurappa had castigated the members of the opposition for consuming non-vegetarian food, when they staged a day-night sit-in in the House demanding a CBI probe into illegal mining, last month. "The opposition has desecrated the premises by eating non-vegetarian," he had thundered.
MiD DAY has documents that show that the CM, who is a strict vegetarian, had hosted non-vegetarian parties five times in the Vidhana Soudha, between November 2008 and February 2010. This came at a cost of Rs 4,37,434.
The caterer to these parties was Prakash Caf ufffd, a famous vegetarian restaurant in the city.
When contacted, the hotel authorities said that while the restaurant was strictly vegetarian, they used to host non-vegetarian parties out side.
B S Shivanna, chairman of Ram Manohar Lohia Thinkers Forum, and a close associate of Siddaramiah, leader of the Opposition, said, "It is wrong to criticise someone's food habit.
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I am not opposed to hisu00a0 parties, but let him stop talking nonsense in public over food habits."
A record
S M Krishna had spent Rs 25 lakh, in his five year tenure between 1999 and 2004, to feed the hacks, while H D Kumaraswamy, who headed the JD(S)-BJP coalition government for 20 years after the fall of the Dharma Singh government in January 2007, has Rs 8 lakh to his account. Comparatively, Dharma Singh was miserly, and he had spent just Rs 1.2 lakh to this account.
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