A day after the leak of a controversial CD in which JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy asked Rs 20 crore from a party man to get a seat in the legislative Council, the former Karnataka CM defended himself on Sunday. “It is not proper to portray me as a villain when I have only discussed in general the harsh reality of politics,” he said.
In the CD, containing the conversation between Kumaraswamy and the MlC aspirant from Bijapur, Vijaygouda Patil, the JDS leader was heard saying, “Our MlAs are not in my control. They are already in talks with (CM) Siddaramaiah and have offered to support the Congress candidate for money. You pay the money and I will take care of the rest.”
The conversation is purported to have taken place in Bangalore during a party meet in early June this year. Vijaygouda Patil’s failure to secure the JD(S) nomination is being seen as the motive behind the expose. In the clip, Kumaraswamy was heard demanding Rs 40 crore in exchange for a seat to the Bijapur leader. But, he later scales it down to Rs 20 crore. “Give me Rs 20 crore, I will try to convince MlAs,” he said.
The supporters of Vijugouda were heard saying, “Please make it Rs 10 crore. You and your party will get the support of our swamiji (seer not named).” “Each MlA (of JD-S) is asking for Rs 1 crore. They are saying you make anybody the MlC,” Kumaraswamy reacts angrily. At another point, Kumaraswamy is heard saying, “40 people (JD-S MlAs) are asking for 40 crore...This is my fate.” Kumaraswamy, however, did not counter the authenticity of the CD and discussion but said he had only discussed the direction in which politics was going.
“The system (cash-for-MlC seat) is not only in the JD(S) but in the BJP and the Congress too,” said Kumaraswamy, adding he is ready for a debate on the issue. In a statement released to media, Kumara-swamy said it was also not proper to project that the JD(S) MlAs had committed a big crime. He said he was also ready for a public debate either in the Assembly or outside.
“Has any transaction taken placeIJ It was only a general discussion,” he told various TV channels while admitting that the discussion took place at his residence. Kumaraswamy said he saw “some hidden hand” behind the release of the CD but had no regrets over the discussion that has landed in a major embarrassment.
TS Saravana and DU Mallikarjuna have been elected to council from JD(S) in the recently concluded elections. According to sources in the JD(S), Bengalore-based realtor DU Mallikarjuna, took all the party MlAs for a junket to Sri lanka to celebrate his victory in the second week of June. TS Saravana is a gold dealer.
The BJP was quick to react to the development. State BJP president Prahlad Joshi said, “It was a tragedy of democracy that a political leader has come to such a pass.” “The credibility of politicians is very low and such developments will further pull us down,” said former Minister PGR Sindhia. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too slammed Kumaraswamy. Asked about Kumaraswamy’s allegations that all parties are involved in such scandals, Siddaramaiah said, “If a cat drinks the milk closing its eyes, it doesn’t mean that the entire world is not watching it drink the milk.”
“Whoever has done… Mistake is a mistake. Corruption is corruption. If he (Kumaraswamy) says other parties are also doing it, is not a defence at all,” he said.