‘Rs 5 crore offer made’: Shivakumar alleges BJP bid to bribe Odisha MLAs in Bengaluru resort
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday accused the BJP of attempting to carry out horse trading of Congress’s Odisha MLAs who were staying at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru, and that two of the people who were caught have confessed that they were trying to carry out “Operation Lotus”.
Addressing the media here, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said that four individuals had come from Odisha and had booked a room with the assistance of a local person named Suresh.
He stated that they entered the resort premises, where eight Congress MLAs are currently staying, and met one of the lawmakers in the morning, offering Rs 5 crore per vote.
According to Shivakumar, they had brought two cheques from the BJP side, but the MLAs refused to accept them. He added that two of the people who came to purchase MLAs escaped, while the other two were caught.
He further said that the accused had admitted that they had come for the same purpose. A complaint has been filed, and the police are carrying out their investigation as per the law.
Shivakumar alleged that “Operation Lotus” was being carried out by BJP leaders.
He also said that further details about the incident would be shared by party leaders later. He noted that the person who booked the hotel online is reportedly from the Byatarayanapura locality in Bengaluru.
Shivakumar stated that the accused met the MLAs in the morning and assured them of Rs 5 crore each. However, the MLAs refused the offer of horse trading, and the cheques brought by the accused have been seized.
Responding to a question about the upcoming by-elections for two seats in Karnataka, Shivakumar said that the party has received reports from the two Assembly constituencies and is confident of winning them. He added that the candidates will be announced soon by the party leadership.
Ashok Kumar Das, Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Odisha, has lodged a complaint with the Bidadi police in Ramanagar district, alleging that four persons attempted to bribe Congress MLAs from Odisha who are currently staying in Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16.
In his complaint to the Station House Officer of Bidadi police station, Das stated that apprehensions of attempts to influence or poach Congress MLAs had arisen after the ruling BJP government in Odisha fielded an additional candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.
He said that, in view of these concerns and to ensure the safety of the legislators, eight Congress MLAs from Odisha had arrived in Bengaluru and have been staying in the city since March 12.
According to the complaint, four unidentified persons approached some of the MLAs on Sunday and allegedly tried to bribe them by offering crores of rupees each in exchange for cross-voting in favour of a particular candidate in the Rajya Sabha election.
Das alleged that when the MLAs rejected the offer, the individuals threatened to kill them if they returned to Odisha. He also stated that the accused used abusive and filthy language against the legislators.
The persons named in the complaint are Birendra Prasad, Suresh, Ajit Kumar Sahu, and Simachal Mohakud.
Das has requested the police to take appropriate action against the accused as per the law. Police are expected to examine the complaint and initiate further investigation into the matter.