Shivakumar backs CM Siddaramaiah’s claim of BJP’s Rs 50 cr offer to Cong MLAs
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his claim that the BJP had offered Rs 50 crore each to 50 Congress MLAs in an attempt to "topple" the state government.
Addressing reporters here, Shivakumar, also the Congress state president, said, “The BJP indeed lured 50 Congress MLAs with Rs 50 crore each.”
He defended Siddaramaiah’s statement and said the Congress MLAs were briefed about the BJP’s alleged 'Operation Lotus', a term used to describe the BJP'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,” Shivakumar said.
At an event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah reiterated the claim that "none of the Congress MLAs had accepted the offer".
He also accused the BJP of filing false cases against him in a bid to "remove him and overthrow his government".
The BJP has yet to respond to the allegations.
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Lokayukta raids on four govt officials in Karnataka
The Karnataka Lokayukta on Thursday conducted simultaneous raids on the properties of four government officials in the state, official sources said.
The raids are underway in Bengaluru, Mandya, and Chikkaballapura, they said.
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Searches are on at many locations linked to these officials, as part of investigations into disproportionate assets cases. Lokayukta officials are verifying documents, assets and valuables, they added.
More details awaited.
