In a hurriedly held press conference right before the delivery of the state budget, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy accused former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yeddyurappa of trying to lure away the legislators of the current state government by offering them money and office.
Playing two audio tapes, the chief minister said that the move was a part of the concerted campaign called ‘Operation Lotus’ to topple his eight-month old coalition government.
In the audio tapes released as “evidence”, Kumaraswamy alleged that the voices heard belonged to Yeddyurappa and the son of Naganagouda – a Janata Dal Secular (JDS) legislator. The chief minister added that Yeddyurappa had met Naganagouda’s son Sharan last night to offer his father money and a ministerial berth. Pointing out that such a move could not take place without the nod of the Prime Minister, Kumaraswamy stated that it was time for the Centre to come clean.
Alleging that the BJP was trying every trick in the book to destabilise his government, the chief minister played one part of an audio tape where a male voice can be heard offering money and promising ministerial berth to Naganagouda. The voice also says that it will be ‘taking care’ of any backlash that may come by the way of invoking the ‘Anti-Defection Law’.
BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa has reacted stating that tape is ‘fake’. Promising to quit politics if the authenticity of the tape can be proved, he stated that Kumaraswamy is ‘trying to hide his failures’. Making such false accusations is ‘not nice’ when it comes from the chief minister of Karnataka, added Yeddyurappa.
