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Shrimant Balasaheb Patil, MLA from Kagwad Assembly constituency in Karnataka said that he was offered money to join BJP which he refused and instead asked for a minister’s post to serve people.
Belagavi (Karnataka): BJP MLA, Shrimant Balasaheb Patil on Sunday said that he was offered money to quit Congress and join BJP. This was before the crumpling of the Congress-JDS (Janata Dal Secular) government in Karnataka.
During the media briefing, he said, “I have joined BJP without taking any offer of money. I was offered money to join the party. I could have asked for as much as I wanted. I did not ask for money, I asked them to give me a minister’s post to serve the people.”
He further added that he refused the money and insisted on a minister’s post in the government, “I do not know why I was not given a ministership in the present government. But I have been promised that I will get a minister’s post in the next expansion. I had a word with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai,” he added.
Patil had a long association with Congress but changed camp in July 2019. He was one of the 16 MLAs who joined BJP from Congress and JDS leading to the fall of the coalition government led by then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. After the Yediyurappa government formed in the state, he was given a ministerial berth. However, he was relinquished from the cabinet after BS Yediyurappa resigned and Basavaraj Bommai became the chief minister.
The Congress and JDS members are expected to raise this matter in the monsoon session of the Karnataka parliament which is beginning tomorrow.
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