Karnataka legislator seeks Minister's resignation over housing board scam

Karnataka Congress MLC Belur Gopalkrishna has called for the resignation of Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan following allegations of irregularities in the Housing Board, levelled by fellow Congress MLA BR Patil.

Speaking to the media, Belur Gopalkrishna said he had become aware of the serious allegations raised against the Housing Board Ministry by a senior member of the legislature and insisted that the Minister concerned must step down to facilitate a fair investigation.

“I’ve heard about the allegations against the Housing Board Ministry. A senior MLA has made these accusations, and the concerned Minister should resign and face an investigation. There are no two ways about it,” he said.

He further argued that resignations in such cases were not unprecedented and pointed out that ministers in the past had stepped down when facing allegations of misconduct or corruption, allowing inquiries to proceed unhindered. “If they are innocent, they can always be brought back into the cabinet,” Gopalkrishna said.

“In my opinion, whoever it may be, the person involved should resign and cooperate with the probe. Let them face the investigation and come out clean,” he added.

On June 20, an audio clip allegedly featuring Congress MLA BR Patil surfaced, in which he accuses officials of the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation of large-scale corruption, including bribery in house allotments.

Patil, also Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission, claimed his recommendations were ignored in favour of those who paid bribes. The clip, reportedly a conversation with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s aide Sarfaraz Khan, triggered political backlash. While BJP leaders cited it as proof of Congress corruption, the Congress distanced itself, with MLC Nagaraj Yadav dismissing Patil’s claims as baseless and politically motivated.