Bengaluru: Congress leaders exchanged Rs 410 crore banned notes, says BJP leader

Bengaluru: After the demonetisation, senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah, minister K.J. George and MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, got their illegal notes worth Rs 410 crore exchanged at the government-run Bangalore One centres across the city, alleged BJP city spokesperson N.R. Ramesh, here on Saturday.

Releasing documents to substantiate his allegation, Mr Ramesh said, "The city has 93 Bangalore One Centres offering 96 different services of various bodies like BBMP, BWSSB, Bescom, BDA, BMTC, KSRTC and others. Under the PPP model, these centres are run by CMS Computers.”

Over 80 percent of transactions at Bangalore One Centres are done in cash using Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes. Between November 2016 and March 2017, Rs 544.96 crore was collected by these centres. In 141 days between November 9, 2016 and March 31, 2017 Rs 410 cr of demonetied Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were exchanged by the centre owners after charging a commission, Mr Ramesh alleged. He said that he lodged complaints with the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and ACB and demanded that severe action be taken against the guilty for misusing the government office for their selfish gains.