Karnataka BJP leader confirms horsetrading, says he was offered money to join BJP

Former Karnataka Minority Welfare Minister Shrimant Patil, who was recently dropped from the state Cabinet, on Saturday claimed he was offered money to join the BJP from the Congress back in 2019. The Kagwad MLA who was one of the 16 MLAs who left the Congress and JD(S) to join the BJP in 2019, leading to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) government, said, “But I declined the offer of money and demanded that I should be given a good position in the BJP-led government so that I can do social service.”

"It was true that I was given an offer of money. I did not take the money and asked for a good portfolio. Accordingly, I was given a cabinet berth. Now, they (BJP) have dropped me from the new Cabinet. However, I have the confidence of getting a cabinet berth in the coming days," he said, "I have discussed with senior leaders regarding the cabinet portfolio and the Maratha community is also pitching in for me, demanding inclusion in the new Cabinet. The senior BJP leaders have assured me that I will be accommodated in the Cabinet.”

When the alliance government fell in 2019, there were several allegations of horsetrading by the BJP to lure MLAs from the two parties to their side. Infact, the 16 MLAs who switched sides were housed in a resort in Mumbai, in an attempt to keep the flock together. While the BJP has denied allegations of horsetrading, several of the MLAs who switched over were given Cabinet berths when the BJP came to power after the fall of the Congress-JD(S) government, Now, Shrimant Patil’s declaration has given more support to the allegations of horsetrading

“There is an audio tape of Yediyurappa offering money to a JD(S) MLA’s son. This is a well-known fact. It's only that the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), I-T (Income Tax) Department and ED (Enforcement Directorate) don't care because it was the BJP doing this. We thank Shrimant Patil for publicly accepting this fact. We hope that the CBI, I-T and ED open their eyes and ears at least now,” said Brijesh Kalappa, the spokesperson of Congress.