Bengaluru: “To be frank all the issues being raised by Congress including one raised by them today about alleged payment of crores of rupees has been already inquired and it was found that documents are fake,” said BJP Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa yesterday, dismissing the bribe charge.
Yesterday at a press conference in New Delhi, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala cited the report by a news magazine that said a diary containing details of the alleged pay-offs to senior BJP leaders and it was seized by the Income Tax Department during raids. He demanded that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come forward and clarify. Even as the Congress demanded a Lokpal probe into the issue, Yeddyurappa termed the allegations – that he had paid Rs 1,800 crore as bribe to the BJP top brass – as atrocious and malicious.
The former Karnataka Chief Minister claimed that it was a closed chapter and accused that the Congress was raising the issue as it was frustrated over its imminent defeat in Lok Sabha polls and to gain political mileage. “Congress leaders are frustrated with the growing popularity of the Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and BJP. They have realized that their defeat in the 2019 elections is imminent. They have lost the battle before it begun,” he said. Speaking to reporters he said that he was going to file defamation case after consulting with legal experts on this issue.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy demanded a proper investigation into the issue.