Bengaluru: Just a day after inducting seven ministers into his Cabinet, a senior BJP leader has pushed Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa into a ‘CD’ controversy even as a livid CM asked disgruntled lawmakers who did not get a berth in the cabinet to take their complaint to the party high command.
BJP lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Thursday triggered a fresh row alleging that a couple of the legislators ‘earned’ their ministerial berths in the cabinet expansion by blackmailing the CM with a controversial CD.
Yatnal told reporters that “CM BS Yediyurappa has made ministers those who have blackmailed him using CDs for the last three months. Three people, one political secretary and two (sitting) ministers were blackmailing with some of his CDs. One who took oath as minister on Thursday paid a sum to Vijayendra (Yediyurappa’s son) apart from using his CDs to blackmail him.”
Yediyurappa remained mum, but the Opposition has demanded that an investigation should be ordered into the allegations. Addressing a press conference, Congress president DK Shivakumar said, "This is the voice of BJP leaders saying not Congress leaders. They say bribes were involved in selecting the cabinet ministers. What is the Income Tax department doing? Why is there no discussion about this? Why aren't they going for a suo motu case on this?”
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to call for action over the CD and the blackmail allegations.
Meanwhile, Yediyurappa Thursday asked BJP leaders, who are airing their discontent about missing out on a cabinet berth, to take up the matter with the national leadership. He also urged them to refrain from making any remarks which will affecting the party’s image.
"If the BJP MLAs have any objection they can go to Delhi, meet our national leaders and give them all the information and complaints they have. I won't object to that but I ask them not to damage the party's reputation by talking ill," Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru.
He said he could do what was within his limits, on the matter and warned those speaking ill about him.
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