Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar on November 14 reiterated chief minister Siddaramaiah's claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offered Rs 50 crore to Congress MLAs in an attempt to overthrow the ruling government in the state.
"The BJP indeed lured 50 Congress MLAs with Rs 50 crore each," Shivakumar said.
On November 13, Siddaramaiah accused the saffron party of attempting to destablize his government by offering 'substantial bribes' to state legistors. "The opposition party offered Rs 50 crore each to 50 MLAs in a bid to overthrow the current government," the CM said.
Shivakumar, who is also the chief of Congress' Karnataka unit, said, that the Congress MLAs were briefed about the BJP's alleged 'Operation Lotus'. It is a term used to describe the saffron party's attempts to destabilise ruling governments through horse-trading.
"Some of our MLAs informed the chief minister about this matter, and he, in turn, shared it with the media," he said.
Siddaramaiah, at an event in Mysuru, had also accused the BJP of filing false cases against him in a bid to "remove him and overthrow his government". The Karnataka CM argued that the BJP's failure to execute the plan has led them pursue false cases against him and his administration.
Responding to the allegations, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Thursday challenged Siddaramaiah to disclose the source of his claim that Rs 50 crore bribe each was offered to 50 Congress MLAs to topple the government and prove his charge.
He said the chief minister has lost faith in his own MLAs and, hence, was levelling false allegations. "If the chief minister fails to prove that Rs 50 crore each was offered to 50 Congress MLAs, people will not take him seriously anymore," Vijayendra said.
The Karnataka BJP chief charged Siddaramaiah with weaving a lie to keep the MLAs in check and cover up the corruption cases surrounding him.
-With agency inputs
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