BJP tried to lure me with cash, ministership: JD(S) MLA

JD(S) MLA K Srinivas Gowda on Sunday made serious allegations against the BJP saying that leaders from the saffron party had tried to lure him with money and ministership.

“The BJP leaders had pressured me to quit as MLA and join the saffron party. BJP MLAs Vishwanath and Ashwathnarayana and former MLA C P Yogeeshwar brought a bag containing Rs 5 crore cash to my house in Bengaluru. They promised me a further Rs 25 crore and a Cabinet berth if I quit JD(S) and join the BJP. I returned the money after two months following the suggestion by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. I could not trap them along with the cash”, Srinivas Gowda told reporters here.

“When I informed Kumaraswamy about the offer from the BJP, he asked me not to make it an issue out of it. So, I remained silent. I will not succumb to pressure tactics by the BJP. All their efforts to poach MLAs from rival camps have failed,” the Kolar MLA said.

Despite repeated requests to BJP leaders to take back money, nobody came forward. When I decided to initiate legal action, Yogeeshwar took the bag containing Rs 5 crore cash back, the JD(S) MLA added.

To a query on Yeddyurappa mentioning Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar’s name in the leaked audio tape, K Srinivas Gowda said, Yeddyurappa is heard telling in the audio tape that Speaker has been booked for Rs 50 crore. Ramesh Kumar is one of the respected politicians.

A four-time MLA, Ramesh Kumar has been elected as Speaker for the second term. He cannot stoop so low. It is unfortunate that Yeddyurappa has spoken lightly of a man of Ramesh Kumar’s stature, he said.