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Bengaluru, October 29 (IANS) Karnataka BJP leader and former minister B. Sriramulu’s claim that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has raised Rs 300 crore for the Bihar elections to secure his position has sparked a major controversy.
Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President DK Shivakumar hit back at Sriramulu’s allegations on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Chitradurga, Sriramulu alleged that CM Siddaramaiah invited ministers to a dinner party and collected Rs 300 crore from them.
He said, “The Chief Minister’s chair is shaking in the state and extortion has started. By handing over Rs 300 crore to the Congress high command, CM Siddaramaiah has tried to save his chair. Like ‘Kamadhenu’, who fulfills every wish, CM Siddaramaiah is serving the Congress party in this regard.”
He also said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to visit Delhi on November 15 and he is under pressure to convince the Congress high command that he can manage everything in the state to maintain his position.
“On the other hand, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar is eyeing the CM post and wants the chair at any cost. He is also trying to influence the Congress high command. The state Congress is divided into two factions,” Sriramulu alleged.
Asked about Sriramulu’s claim that both the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister had given black funds worth Rs 300 crore for the Bihar elections, DK Shivakumar quipped in Bengaluru, “It was Sriramulu who gave money to the Congress party and it was we who sent him for the Bihar elections.”
Karnataka Labor Minister Santosh Lad reacted strongly to Sriramulu’s statement, saying, “Does the BJP have anything else to talk about? Will they debate the Bihar elections now? They have distributed Rs 7,500 crore to women and are seeking votes by emptying the government treasury. Do they have any shame? Whenever elections come, they make such baseless allegations. They are in power in 20 states – what is the situation there?”
“Don’t they collect money in those 20 states? Don’t they spend huge amounts of money during Karnataka elections? Many people speak only for political gains,” he said.
Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal also commented, “Naturally, the Congress party will make arrangements. Karnataka is the only state where they can raise resources. A Congress MLA from Chitradurga was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on similar charges. The raid was conducted after information emerged that he had agreed to pay Rs 500 crore to the Congress high command to get a ministerial post.”
State BJP president BY Vijayendra had earlier alleged that the Congress-led government was looting Karnataka’s money and handing it over to party leader Rahul Gandhi.
BJP MP BY Raghavendra also claimed that all the ministers and departments of the state are busy collecting funds for Bihar elections.
–IANS
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