JOIN USSadananda Gowda took money from me, says Renukacharya
Excise Minister M P Renukacharya on Tuesday alleged that he had handed over huge sums of money to senior BJP leader D V Sadananda Gowda when he was the Chief Minister.
Revealing this to a private Kannada news channels, he alleged that Gowda was not ‘Mr Clean of BJP’, and he has no moral right to criticise KJP leaders B S Yeddyurappa and C M Udasi.
“I had personally given him huge sums thrice on his request. He (Gowda) had shed tears saying that he was badly in need of money and he pleaded me to arrange for it,” he alleged. He said he gave the money at the travellers’ bungalow at Chikmagalur during the byelection to Udupi-Chikamgalur parliamentary constituency in 2012.
Not only Gowda, other BJP leaders — H N Ananth Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, State BJP President Pralhad Joshi and RSS leader Santosh, are also corrupt, he alleged.
The minister, however, did not divulge how much money he had given and for what purpose. Renukacharya’s allegation is seen as a tit-for-tat move. For, as the chief minister, Gowda had embarrassed him by ordering a probe into a complaint of alleged irregularity in the Excise department.
Renukacharya further said that he has evidence to prove the allegations and that he is ready to swear on any god on this. “If he (Gowda) refutes this allegation, then I will make all evidence public. I am ready to go to any temple to swear on this,” he stated.
To quit BJP
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Honnali in Davanagere district, Renukacharya said he has decided to quit the BJP and join the KJP at a public function to be held at Honnali on March 29.
He said he has taken the decision as he was upset with the style of functioning of Ananth Kumar, RSS leader Santosh, Eshwarappa and Joshi and was feeling suffocated in the party.
He was extremely unhappy with the way the State BJP leaders conspired to make B S Yeddyurappa leave the party and falsely implicated him in various corruption cases.
It’s all rubbish, says DVS
Rubbishing the allegations, Sadananda Gowda said the entire world was aware of the reputation of Renukacharya. “People know what kind of a person he is. I need not learn honesty from such a person. Would I take money from a person against whom I as chief minister ordered investigation, into allegations of corruption?” Gowda asked.
Gowda said Renukacharya should come out with the documents to prove his allegations. “Though it would be below my dignity to respond to such baseless allegation, I will do so,” he said.