Bengaluru, Oct 9: The Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka has resorted to the damage control mode after a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report officially confirmed the voice of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and Union minister Ananth Kumar in a video clip in which they were heard discussing about the payment of kickback to the party high-command.
Raising question about the reliability of the report, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar stated that the FSL report was obtained in just 20 days that included several holidays.
“Home Department advisor Kempaiah, Bengaluru Police Commissioner M N Reddy and chief minister’s principal secretary L K Atheeq are suspected to be involved in getting such a report from the FSL, as part of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s political vendetta, who wants to get Mr Yeddyurappa arrested at any cost,” Mr Shettar said.
He told media persons here on Monday that the entire CD of the programme in which Mr Yeddyurappa and Mr Ananth Kumar participated should be probed, as the video clip provided by the Congress leaders is a doctored one.
“The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has not yet initiated probe on the complaint filed by the BJP, against ministers and others for fabricating false evidence in this case.
The CID gave clean chit to minister K J George in DySP M K Ganapathy suicide case, without getting the FSL report during a 40-day probe, while the FSL report obtained so fast in this case is suspicious,” he said.
Though a total of 28 cases against Mr Siddaramaiah and his family members are filed with the ACB, only cases against Opposition leaders are taken up immediately, due to political vengeance of Mr Siddaramaiah. A false case was filed against me also, after I unearthed Arkavathy Layout denotifaction case, Mr Shettar charged.
If Mr Siddaramaiah has no role in Arkavathy Layout case, why Kempanna Commission report is not disclosed? We will demand to table it before the Legislative Assembly in the next session, he added.
The purported conversation
Ananth Kumar: He told me, you have given money to the Centre and I have also given money. I am only saying in public that I have not given. But why make this Rs 1,000 crore allegation? (Kumar seems to be quoting a chat he had with a Congress leader). I asked him, okay tell me how much of money you have given. (Yeddyurappa laughs). It is like he has accepted.
Yeddyurappa: We would have given (money to the Centre) but we never kept records of it.
Ananth Kumar: If you throw a stone now it will taint them (the Congress government in Karnataka). Nobody will believe that they did not make Rs 1,000 crore of payments to the Centre. They will only think that he has definitely given the amount.
Yeddyurappa: Let it all come out.
Ananth Kumar: They will have to go around issuing denials on this issue till the elections. Let them answer.
Also Read: Kickback to BJP high command: Forensic lab confirms voices of Yeddy, Ananth
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