Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday released an audio recording of a purported attempt made by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa to poach a JDS MLA.
Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday released an audio recording of a purported attempt made by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa to poach a JDS MLA.
Kumaraswamy released the audio recording of Yeddyurappa holding negotiations with Sharanagouda Patil, the son of JDS MLA Naganagouda Patil.
The audio was released amid speculation of BJP’s involvement in the absence of seven Congress and one JDS MLA from the budget session of the legislature over the last two days. The BJP disrupted the legislature session on the grounds that the ruling JDS-Congress coalition is running a minority government.
In the audio released by Kumaraswamy and reportedly recorded on Thursday at a circuit house in Devarayanadurga in north Karnataka, BJP state president Yeddyurappa can be heard trying to convince the JDS MLA’s son to get his 73-year-old father to quit JDS and join BJP in the next few days. A voice that sounds like Yeddyurappa’s is heard telling Sharanagouda Patil to move to Mumbai and join around 10 other MLAs who will be moving there.
The MLA’s son is heard being promised the post of a minister and funds for elections by a person identified as the BJP MLA Shivanagouda Nayak. “They promised Rs 25 crore for the MLA and election funds,” Kumaraswamy said.
The MLA’s son Sharanagouda Patil, who was present at the chief minister’s press conference, said he had recorded the conversation with Yeddyurappa and handed them to Kumaraswamy. “I was concerned by their efforts to topple the pro-farmer government,” he claimed.
Yeddyurappa dismissed the audio as a creation of Kumaraswamy, who is a film producer in the Kannada film industry. “It is a fake audio, I have not met anyone, it is a creation of the government to cover the misdeeds of the coalition. Kumaraswamy is an expert in voice recording and his statements are baseless,” Yeddyurappa said.
The BJP president, however, said his party would not disrupt the budget presentation by Kumaraswamy on Friday afternoon. He also ruled out a no-confidence motion against the coalition government but claimed the government will be in jeopardy in a few days.
“We are only 104 and if you add two Independents we are 106. The question of no confidence does not arise,” Yeddyurappa said. The ruling coalition has a total of 117 MLAs.
The Congress party had earlier dared the BJP to move a no-confidence motion if it thought the government is in a minority instead of disrupting the legislature during the budget session.
The BJP is believed to be making efforts to defeat the finance bill when it is up for passage next week in order to destabilise the coalition government.
Kumaraswamy released the audio recording of Yeddyurappa holding negotiations with Sharanagouda Patil, the son of JDS MLA Naganagouda Patil.
The audio was released amid speculation of BJP’s involvement in the absence of seven Congress and one JDS MLA from the budget session of the legislature over the last two days. The BJP disrupted the legislature session on the grounds that the ruling JDS-Congress coalition is running a minority government.
In the audio released by Kumaraswamy and reportedly recorded on Thursday at a circuit house in Devarayanadurga in north Karnataka, BJP state president Yeddyurappa can be heard trying to convince the JDS MLA’s son to get his 73-year-old father to quit JDS and join BJP in the next few days. A voice that sounds like Yeddyurappa’s is heard telling Sharanagouda Patil to move to Mumbai and join around 10 other MLAs who will be moving there.
The MLA’s son is heard being promised the post of a minister and funds for elections by a person identified as the BJP MLA Shivanagouda Nayak. “They promised Rs 25 crore for the MLA and election funds,” Kumaraswamy said.
The MLA’s son Sharanagouda Patil, who was present at the chief minister’s press conference, said he had recorded the conversation with Yeddyurappa and handed them to Kumaraswamy. “I was concerned by their efforts to topple the pro-farmer government,” he claimed.
Yeddyurappa dismissed the audio as a creation of Kumaraswamy, who is a film producer in the Kannada film industry. “It is a fake audio, I have not met anyone, it is a creation of the government to cover the misdeeds of the coalition. Kumaraswamy is an expert in voice recording and his statements are baseless,” Yeddyurappa said.
The BJP president, however, said his party would not disrupt the budget presentation by Kumaraswamy on Friday afternoon. He also ruled out a no-confidence motion against the coalition government but claimed the government will be in jeopardy in a few days.
“We are only 104 and if you add two Independents we are 106. The question of no confidence does not arise,” Yeddyurappa said. The ruling coalition has a total of 117 MLAs.
The Congress party had earlier dared the BJP to move a no-confidence motion if it thought the government is in a minority instead of disrupting the legislature during the budget session.
The BJP is believed to be making efforts to defeat the finance bill when it is up for passage next week in order to destabilise the coalition government.