BJP continuing bid to topple govt, tried to bribe JDS MLA: HDK

Team Udayavani, Jun 19, 2019, 10:28 AM IST

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Bengaluru: HDK After a lull, the fear of ‘Operation Lotus’ to topple the government returned to haunt the coalition government with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday accusing the BJP of attempting to bribe one of his party MLAs.

Addressing a public meeting at a village in Ramanagar, Kumaraswamy said relentless efforts have been made to pull down the government and he knew who have been behind it.

To back his claim, the chief minister recalled that when he was on the way from Ramanagara to Bidadi, one of his MLAs called him at about 11 pm on Monday.

“The MLA said that half-an-hour ago a BJP leader called him. The leader said the government’s fall was imminent by tomorrow evening.

Already nine MLAs from Congress and the JD(S) have signed. The leader told him that if he (MLA) agreed he would dispatch Rs 10 crore at his location,” the chief minister alleged.

Kumaraswamy said the MLA was shaken badly after the BJP leader told him to join them.

“This is going on continuously. They have kept money ready to topple this government,” the chief minister said.

“Whatever attempts they make, the government will not fall and it will continue for the next four years,” he asserted.

Kumaraswamy did not reveal the name of the MLA nor the BJPleader who approached him giving room for speculation.

BJP spokesperson Go Madhusudan rubbished the charge, saying the chief minister was making a baseless allegation.

“Just to advance his vested interest and dynastic politics, the chief minister has been making baseless allegations against the BJP.

The BJP has neither approached his party MLAs nor has any ‘Operation Lotus’. Let him focus on development instead of levelling allegations,” he said.

Time and again, the JD(S) and its ally in the government, the Congress, have been accusing the BJP of attempting to topple the government by bribing their MLAs.

Ahead of tabling the state budget on February 8, the chief minister had held a press conference and claimed that the BJPleaders wanted to bribe JD(S) MLAs.

To substantiate his claim, he had released the audio clip of a purported conversation between a JD(S) MLA and the BJP leaders.

The BJP is the single largest party in the assembly with 105 seats, yet short of eight MLAs to form the government.