Senior Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil (Yatnal) on Friday said that he was given the offer of being made Karnataka chief minister if “I can cough up ₹2,500 crores”, Hindustan Times reported.
Those people who were willing to give ₹50-100 crores were being made a minister as well, Yatnal further alleged.
“There are many thieves in politics who claim they can give you a ticket, take you to Delhi, meet with Sonia Gandhi, (JP) Nadda. Some people from Delhi approached me and said we would make you chief minister if you give ₹2,500 crore,” the BJP leader said in Belagavi.
“There are fraudsters everywhere,” he went on to add.
The former union minister has been openly critical of the saffron party’s leadership in Karnataka, especially former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and his family.
He he had “taken a pledge to bring down Yediyurappa”, Yatnal claimed.
“I don’t know this kind of theatrics, but if I did, then when Yediyurappa was removed, not this time but the last, they (a reference to BJP high command) would have made me chief minister,” Yatnal said.
Yediyurappa thought that “if I make Yatnal a minister, what would happen to my son (BY Vijayendra)”, he said.
“That’s why he trampled me and did none of the work I asked for, kept all the letters (requests) I gave to them aside. I went there and told him this is the last time, and I will never come to your chamber or Cauvery (official residence of the chief minister) till you are a chief minister. Only after bringing you down will I come here. Next, Bommai became chief minister, called me and asked me to come. I said I will since my pledge was fulfilled. Bommai spoke to me for half an hour and told me that I (Bommai) became CM only because of you,” the Vijayapura MLA said, as audience erupted into loud cheers.
DK Shivakumar, the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), reacted to Yatnal’s comments. “Yatnal has said that if he wants to become chief minister, he would have to pay ₹2500 crore. To become a minister, you have to pay ₹100 crore. For sub-inspector, and circle inspector, all rates have been fixed. Appointments, cooperation employees, milk (federation), teachers. We won’t talk about it but will take it up seriously with the ACB (anti-corruption bureau) and want this to become a national issue,” Shivakumar said.
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