Karnataka Congress on Wednesday lodged a police criticism in opposition to former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and different senior BJP leaders, accusing them of providing bribes to voters forward of the Meeting elections.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar and Chief of Opposition Siddaramaiah lodged the criticism with the Excessive Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru.
The criticism comes after BJP MLA Jarkiholi stirred a political controversy after he mentioned that he would “give ₹6,000 to every voter” earlier than the state meeting elections due in Could.
Jarkiholi was talking at a rally organised by his supporters in Sulebavi village in Belagavi Rural constituency on Friday. The comment got here throughout his assault on Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who represents the world.
Within the criticism, Congress reiterated that Ramesh Jarkiholi had on January 22 introduced in Belagavi that the BJP would pay ₹6,000 to each voter within the ensuing Karnataka Meeting elections.
“It’s an try to affect the results of elections by defeating the targets of democracy,” mentioned DK Shivakumar. “That is a part of a concerted conspiracy hatched on the highest ranges within the BJP with the tacit approval of the Chief Minister,” he added.
The Congress leaders additionally connected a replica of video footage as proof, wherein Jarkiholi was heard providing ₹6,000 to each voter within the ensuing elections. “There are a complete group of people concerned on this conspiracy, and the identical will turn into obvious on the arrest and interrogation of the above-said 4 individuals and confiscation of their cell telephones, computer systems and different digital units,” the criticism added.
In accordance with their petition: “Clearly, there’s a group of BJP leaders behind this concerted design to bribe voters. It is a blatant and brazen try to hijack democracy, and are apparent prison offence underneath Sections 171 B, learn with 107, 120 B, 506 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Additionally it is a bribe providing to the voters, as per provisions of Part 123(1) of the Illustration of Peoples Act, 1951.”
“That is additionally a match and acceptable case the place a full investigation by the Earnings Tax Division, and the Enforcement Directorate ought to provoke proceedings in opposition to the BJP’s central and State leaders, the CM of Karnataka and his Cupboard colleagues, andJarkiholi to unearth the supply of the ill-gotten cash of ₹30,000 crore prone to be distributed to the voters of Karnataka,” added the petition.
A number of hours after Congress leaders filed a criticism, Ramesh Jarkiholi denied making such statements. “It’s true that I mentioned we’ll give ₹6,000 per head. However that was not meant to be a bribe for voting. It was my measure of per capita funds that I’d launch for the constituency for its growth. My statements have been twisted by the media,” he mentioned.
He advised reporters that he didn’t provide bribes and accused the Congress social gathering of distributing presents. “I’m a six-time MLA. I’ve by no means stooped to such ranges to affect voters. I’ve solely uncovered Congress leaders like Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who have been overtly bribing voters. Why did the Congress leaders, who complained in opposition to me, not point out that I had spoken about Hebbalkar’s bribing the voters with reward packing containers?”
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai mentioned on Wednesday the Congress is the one which gave start to “unlawful issues and corruption” within the nation, as he hit out on the opposition social gathering’s police criticism in opposition to him and BJP leaders calling it “laughable and ignoble”.
Alleging that Congress legislators have been caught “red-handed” in Kunigal in Tumakuru district lately distributing stress cookers to voters and have been fined by the Industrial Tax division, Bommai known as it a “stress cooker social gathering”.
“That is an instance of how low Congress has reached. Those that made an announcement will give a clarification for what they mentioned. Congress social gathering itself has introduced that it’ll present ₹2,000 for each woman-led family, 200 models of free energy, they’re making bulletins each day,” Bommai mentioned, reacting to the criticism lodged by the Congress.
(with inputs from PTI)