Waqf report: Vijayendra rejects claims that he tried to ‘bribe’ ex-Minority Commission chief

PTI, Dec 15, 2024, 4:28 PM IST

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Sunday strongly dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ruling Congress leaders’ charges that he attempted to “bribe” former state Minority Commission chairperson Anwar Manippady to hush up his report on the Waqf encroachments.

Siddaramaiah in a statement on Saturday said that Manippady had publicly stated that Vijayendra visited his house during Yediyurappa’s tenure as CM and offered Rs 150 crore to be silent about the Waqf property encroachment report.

Meanwhile, Manippady on Sunday denied that no such offer was made to him by Vijayendra, while Siddaramaiah stated that there was video footage showing Manippady making such a charge, and demanded that the central government order a CBI probe into it.

Questioning whether there was any logic in the allegation, Vijayendra today said, the Congress and Siddaramaiah seem to be “perturbed” by the allegations of corruption and scam against them, especially by the MUDA site allotment case against the CM.

“This is a shameless government. Its leaders, ministers and legislators, I have seen their statements. They seem to have lost their minds. When B S Yediyurappa was CM and the BJP government was in power, Manippady had submitted a report on Waqf regarding irregularities committed during the previous Congress government and its leaders,” Vijayendra said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, “As the then chief minister’s son, why should I go to Manippady’s house and offer Rs 150 crore? That too to save Congress leaders? Is there any logic in this (allegation)?” The state BJP chief said if the Congress wants to use this issue to waste the time of the legislature during the ongoing Assembly session, it is nothing but the “height of stupidity”. The government, which is in the midst of corruption allegations and scams, is trying to waste time, he further alleged.

“I have not seen Manippady’s statement. Is there any meaning in the allegations (made by CM and Congress leaders)? What Minister Priyank Kharge has said is meaningless. If the CM is speaking using what he (Kharge) has said, I don’t know what to say. It seems to be true that CM is perturbed,” he said.

Stating that he will respond to the allegations if raised in the Assembly, Vijayendra said, “By creating imaginary things, if they feel that they can make opposition and the state BJP chief succumb to it, we are ready to take it as a challenge and respond to it.” Demanding a CBI probe, the CM in his statement on Saturday said that Manippady has further stated that he sent Vijayendra out of his house when he offered money, and reported the incident to PM Narendra Modi and the BJP president.

Manippady, as the chairman of the Karnataka State Minority Commission, had prepared the report and submitted it to the then BJP government in March 2012.

It was tabled in the legislature in 2020, when the BJP was again in power.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Manippady said, Vijayendra did not come to his house and no such offer was made to him.

“Vijayendra was not in the scene when the report was submitted. I didn’t even know him then and had only heard his name. I only spoke to him and expressed displeasure about the delay in tabling of report when Vijayendra was party vice president, and Yediyurappa was CM once again. There was no Rs 150 crore offer,” he said.

Reacting to this, Siddaramaiah today said, his statement is based on what Manippady had said in the video recording. “….if he now says no, it means he is lying. He had said that he had written letters to the PM and the party president.” Let the central government hand it over to the CBI for probe, the CM said while responding to a question by reporters in Gadag.

“The PM says na khaunga, na khane dunga (will not indulge in corruption, nor will allow anyone to indulge in corruption), let him give it to CBI,” he said.

Home Minister G Parameshwara too said there is a video footage of Manippady accusing Vijayendra and the media had covered it then.

“If he is changing his words now, I don’t know how to take it. He himself had made such claims. Let’s see. The issue may be raised in the Assembly tomorrow,” he said.

Alleging that the Congress government was wasting time during the ongoing legislature session in Belagavi, Vijayendra said the administration, including the chief minister, is not ready to discuss issues concerning the state, especially from the north Karnataka region, and also on recent maternal deaths at government hospitals.

At a time when the High Court is hearing whether the MUDA case against the chief minister should be handed over to CBI for probe, and ED is also investigating the case, the CM seems to be anxious, he said.

Noting that there are media reports that the ruling Congress wants to discuss cases against BJP MLA N Munirathna of alleged rape and charges of using casteist slurs, also cases against former CM B S Yediyurappa and the COVID scam, during the session from Monday, Vijayendra said the government is clearly misleading the House.

“The government is not concerned about the development of the state. It is trying to escape from the issues,” he said, as he hit out at Siddarmaiah and Parameshwara for not expressing at least regret over last Tuesday’s lathi charge against Panchamasali Lingayat protesters, who were demanding higher reservation.