Congress on Saturday slammed the BJP after one of the Congress MLAs in Karnataka accused the saffron party of approaching him to defect, saying that a party without a leader or an agenda is resorting to its old habit of undoing the people's mandate and it should first find a Leader of Opposition in Karnataka and a state party president.
Slamming the BJP, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C.Venugopal in a post on X, formerly Twitter said, "A party without a leader or an agenda is resorting to their old habit of undoing the people's mandate. Under the supervision of their masters in Delhi, Karnataka BJP is making yet another laughable attempt of destabilising our Karnataka government."
"But our INC (Congress) MLAs are die hard loyalists and this government is receiving widespread praise for its speedy delivery of guarantees. Maybe they should find a LOP and party president first?" Venugopal said taking a pot shot at the BJP.
BJP denies charges
He also attached a news report claiming that Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda (Ganiga) on Friday said a team of three BJP leaders is approaching lawmakers with offers to defect, a charge denied by the saffron party.
Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on Saturday asserted that the BJP's conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state will not work. Shivakumar was interacting with reporters in the city before leaving for Hyderabad.
Reacting to remarks made in this regard by Congress MLA Ganiga Ravi, he said, "We know this conspiracy. There are prominent leaders behind it. However, nothing will work." He maintained that he would request and warn the party MLAs not to issue statements before the media on party's internal matters, government and the power sharing.
Asks MLAs not to issue press statements
Despite the warning if they still make statements, there is no other way than issuing notices to them, Shivakumar stated. Karnataka Congress MLA Ganiga Ravi on Friday alleged that attempts are on to destabilise the Congress government in the state and his colleagues are being offered Rs 50 crore and a minister portfolio.
While interacting with reporters in Davanagere, MLA Ganiga Ravi, without taking BJP's name, had stated that they have already met four of Congress MLAs and spoken to them. One person who is approaching and making offers is N.R. Santhosh, ex-personal secretary of B.S. Yediyurappa.
Notably, Santhosh had played a key role in establishing contact with disgruntled MLA and ministers in the JD(S) - Congress coalition government. The BJP had managed to pull 17 MLAs and ministers resulting in the fall of the coalition government. BJP was the single majority party then.
Currently, the BJP party has only 66 MLAs in the 224 strength state legislature. Congress party had won 136 seats.
"Santhosh contested elections from the JD (S) party and lost. Still he had not learned his lessons. He is claiming that the government would be brought down and MLAs would be purchased. Likewise many are making attempts. We have their videos. The development has been brought to the notice of the CM Siddaramaiah and DyCM D.K. Shivakumar. They would be released at an appropriate time," MLA Ravi had explained.
"They are offering Rs 50 crore and telling MLAs that they would be made ministers. MLAs are being told that they will be sent to New Delhi and arrange a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah."
The persons approaching MLAs also said that they won't travel with them and people would pick them up, he had said. MLA Ravi further stated that the whole operation looks like hawala transactions.
"We have video and audio records. They are not approaching me as I am strongly connected to the party. But, our friends are. It seems they don't have work and are making continuous efforts every day to pull legislators. Experts are handling this in different regions of the state," he had explained.
(With inputs from IANS)
