Our MLAs are offered Rs 50 cr, minister portfolio, claims K’taka Cong MLA

Davanagere, Oct 27 (IANS) Karnataka Congress MLA Ganiga Ravi on Friday alleged that attempts are on to destabilise the Congress government in the state and his colleagues are being offered Rs 50 crore and a minister portfolio. 

While interacting with reporters in Davanagere, MLA Ganiga Ravi, without taking BJP's name, stated that they have already met four of Congress MLAs and spoken to them.

One person who is approaching and making offers is N.R. Santhosh, ex-personal secretary of B.S. Yediyurappa.

Notably, Santhosh had played a key role in establishing contact with disgruntled MLA and ministers in the JD(S) - Congress coalition government.

The BJP had managed to pull 17 MLAs and ministers resulting in the fall of the coalition government.

BJP was the single majority party then. Presently, the BJP party has only 66 MLAs in the 224 strength state legislature.

Congress party had won 136 seats. "Santhosh contested elections from the JD (S) party and lost. Still he had not learned his lessons. He is claiming that the government would be brought down and MLAs would be purchased. Likewise many are making attempts. We have their videos. The development has been brought to the notice of the CM Siddaramaiah and DyCM D.K. Shivakumar. They would be released at an appropriate time," MLA Ravi explained.

"The honest MLAs of our party who were approached have promptly come back to us and shared details. They had met the seniors as well as new MLAs. None of the party MLAs have given in. Development is not good for democracy. Very soon, the videos and records in this regard would be released," he reiterated.

"They are offering Rs 50 crore and telling MLAs that they would be made ministers. MLAs are being told that they will be sent to New Delhi and arrange a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah."

The persons approaching MLAs also said that they won’t travel with them and people would pick them up, he said.

MLA Ravi further stated that the whole operation looks like hawala transactions. "We have video and audio records. They are not approaching me as I am strongly connected to the party. But, our friends are. It seems they don't have work and are making continuous efforts every day to pull legislators. Experts are handling this in different regions of the state," he explained.

--IANS

mka/shb