‘BSY offered Rs 10-cr each to 18 Cong MLAs, Rs 50-cr to speaker’

New Delhi, Feb 9: Launching a fresh attack on the BJP over charges of horse trading in Karnataka, the Congress on Saturday alleged that BS Yeddyurappa is offering around Rs 200 crore to 18 of its MLAs to destabilise the state government.

Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also claimed that Yeddyurappa has offered Rs 50 crore to the speaker.

He said, "The BJP wants power at any cost and power at all cost."

Congress leader KC Venugopal said, "The entire country was shocked by hearing the news from Karnataka yesterday. The Karnataka CM released audio clippings of deliberation of Yeddyurappa with one of the brothers of JD(S) MLA revealing the dirty politics of Modi ji and Amit Shah to destabilise the Karnataka government."

On Friday, Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy released an audio clip in which Yeddyurappa is puportedly trying to lure a JD(S) MLA. Hours before presenting the state budget amid coalition discord and BJP's alleged toppling game, Kumaraswamy dropped the audio bomb at a press conference, targeting prime minister Narendra Modi in his attack.

Kumaraswamy alleged that destabilisation efforts were being carried out with the "permission" of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Yeddyurappa, who is at the vortex of the row over his alleged bid to poach the ruling coalition MLAs for the past few weeks, was quick to dismiss the clip as "fake" and a "concocted story".

The Congress also decided to crack the whip and initiate action against four rebel MLAs of the party under the anti-defection law after they skipped a legislature party meeting.

CLP leader Siddaramaiah said he would write to assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar seeking action against the four errant MLAs under the anti-defection law.

The absence of several Congress MLAs had kept the ruling Congress-JDS coalition on the edge in the backdrop of BJP's reported aggressive moves to poach on the rival legislators.

The BJP has been denying the reports and asked the coalition partners to keep their flock intact instead of attacking it.

Karnataka has been reeling under political turmoil for the past few weeks that also saw the resort politics play out with both BJP and Congress sequestering their MLAs to shield them poaching bid.