The kickbacks’ row has taken a new turn with former Chief Minister and BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa threatening to put Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah behind bars within 24 hours, if he comes to power.
“Siddaramaiah and his cronies have been involved in a Rs. 3500 crore scam related to the BBMP. I will write to the BBMP Commissioner about this. I will also release the demand drafts that have exchanged hands, if I come to power,” said Yeddyurappa at a protest organised by the BJP on Monday near Town Hall.
He added that he would have Siddaramaiah and his family members investigated for corruption, supplementing it with a threat of having Siddaramaiah behind bars with 24 hours of him assuming the office of the Chief Minister.
“I vow to expose Siddaramaiah’s corrupt dealings. I am ready to discuss the charges he has levelled against me in public. Is he willing to do the same?” asked Yeddyurappa.
The leader however refused to release the copy of a diary that reportedly contains information implicating the CM and his associates for accepting Rs. 150 crore in kickbacks, for approval of the Bengaluru steel flyover project.
“Why should I give Siddaramaiah the copy of a diary that implicates him in a corruption deal?” countered Yeddyurappa, stoutly refusing to make the document public.
The Chief Minister had on Saturday said that the alleged diary and its contents must be made public by the state Income Tax Department and sent to the Lokayukta for investigation, if at all such a document exists.
Yeddyurappa had announced on February 13 that he was allegedly in possession of a copy of the diary found at the residence of Congress MLA MTB Nagraj during an IT raid.
Just a day later, the Congress released a video where Yeddyurappa is seen discussing giving of kickbacks to BJP national leaders with Ananth Kumar -Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar.
This was followed by KPCC’s Legal Cell filing a complaint of corruption against Yeddyurappa with the Lokayukta on February 16.
The BJP subsequently accused the Congress of falsifying evidence and demanded that cases be filed against four Congress leaders for corruption.
On February 18, a group of BJP MLAs approached the Bengaluru Police Commissioner -Praveen Sood- and submitted a memorandum, demanding that criminal cases be filed against state Health Minister Ramesh Kumar, state Minister for Higher Education Basavraj Rayareddy, state Minister for Water Resources MB Patil and MLC Ugrappa. for releasing the video that they claimed sought to deliberately malign the image of the party.
The police are in the process of verifying facts and examining evidence in this regard.