Proof of poaching is in audio clips, says HDK

Reveals conversation JD(S) MLA’s son allegedly had with BSY

February 09, 2019 01:16 am | Updated 01:16 am IST - Bengaluru

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy with Sharanagouda, JD(S) MLA Naganagouda Kandkur’s son, at a press conference in Bengaluru on Friday.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy with Sharanagouda, JD(S) MLA Naganagouda Kandkur’s son, at a press conference in Bengaluru on Friday.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, on Friday morning, released two audio clips seeking to prove that the Opposition BJP was indulging in ‘Operation Kamala’. The clips were recorded by JD(S) MLA from Gurmitkal Naganagouda Kandkur’s son, Sharanagouda, of the conversations he allegedly had with BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa and BJP MLA Shivanagouda Nayak early on Friday at Yadgir Circuit House. Offers of money and a ministry have been recorded on the tape. The first clip has a man, purportedly Mr. Yeddyurappa, heard wooing Mr. Sharanagouda to the BJP. He was asked to go to Mumbai where he says 11 rebel MLAs have been holed up. “I will look after you like my son. Your father is old. Let him resign and you stand for the byelection in his place. I will make you a Minister in my government. Your political career is my responsibility,” he is heard saying. He is further says they were poaching 18 to 20 MLAs from the ruling combine of whom 12 will be made Ministers and eight chairpersons of boards.

The other clip has a man, purportedly BJP MLA Shivanagouda Nayak, also present at the meeting, heard claiming “they had managed the Speaker as well by paying him ₹50 crore, to accept resignations. And even if he doesn’t, it will be treated as a constitutional crisis and the Governor will intervene. They will get the resignation accepted in the courts. That has been managed at the level of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, including High Court and Supreme Court judges.”

Mr. Sharanagouda told media persons on Friday that on the instructions of Mr. Yeddyurappa, he spoke to his son and BJP leader B.Y. Vijayendra, Mr. Yeddyurappa’s son, who promised him ₹25 crore for switching sides and ₹25 crore to fight byelections, apart from a ministry. “Mr. Yeddyurappa called me at around 11.30 p.m. I did not pick up the call. But on the third call, I picked it up and he asked me to meet him. I immediately called the Chief Minister and again called Mr. Yeddyurappa from another phone. Mr. Kumaraswamy listened to what Mr. Yeddyurappa was offering, live, on another line. I later went to the circuit house and recorded the conversations,” he said.

Will place the matter before Assembly: Speaker

Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, K.R. Ramesh Kumar, told the media that he will place the issue – an audio tape released by the chief minister with a person making allegations against the speaker – before the Assembly on Monday to deliberate on suitable action. “I have heard the tapes. Reportage in a section of media that Leader of Opposition B.S. Yeddyurappa has made these statements is wrong. The voice of the person making these statements is not clear, and I don’t know who has made those statements. It needs an appropriate inquiry to ascertain that,” he said. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had written to the Speaker and presented him the audio clips.

Not the first time

Purported audio clips of B.S. Yeddyurappa trying to poach MLAs were released in May 2018 as well. Hirekerur Congress MLA B.C. Patil had released an audio clip of his alleged telephonic conversation with Mr. Yeddyurappa trying to woo him with an assurance of a ministry in a BJP government, when Congress MLAs were being herded to Kochi. Mr. Yeddyurappa had dismissed the clip as fake.

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