Bangalore, Jul 10: Turning emotional in Karnataka Assembly over an audio CD on the cash-for-MLC seat controversy involving him, Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday offered to face any probe into the issue and said he was ready to go to jail if he was guilty.
Raising the issue during the debate on revenue related matters, Kumaraswamy maintained that he had committed no crime and had only spoken about the falling standards of politics, which has landed him in a major political row.
"I am ready to face any kind of probe. I am ready to go to jail or become a martyr for telling the truth.' said an emotional Kumaraswamy who, in the CD clips played by TV channels, purportedly told supporters of MLC seat aspirant Vijugowda Patil, a JDS leader from Bijapur district, about the demand for money from his party MLAs.
"40 people (JDS MLAs) are asking for 40 crore... This is my fate," Kumaraswamy is heard saying.
The JDS leader also said, "I am also ready for a debate on the the issue on the floor of the House." Ever since the controversy exploded in his face, Kumaraswamy has maintained that no transaction had taken place and he was being portrayed as if he was a "villain" and had committed "a sin".
He maintained that the custom of politicians admitting to the truth has been started from him and alleged that he and his party were being targeted for telling the truth.
He said that several officials are into rampant corruption and they go scot free, while politicians are targeted for telling the truth by the media. Referring to BJP MLA Vishwanath's charges that a sub-registrar takes away a bribe of Rs 10 lakh per day, he said that the officials earn as much as Rs 36 crore as bribe every year. “I have come out telling the truth. I do not know when you will tell the truth,” he said. He accused the media for projecting him as a villain' and a murderer of democracy.'
He said that the Speaker should come to his and his party MLAs' rescue.
Money spent on lavish outing in Sri Lanka'
T S Sathyananda, an advocate from Mandya, has written to President Pranab Mukherjee, demanding a detailed inquiry into the CD controversy. He has urged Mukherjee to direct the Central Election Commission to disqualify the JD(S) as a political party. He has also sought directions to the chairman of the Legislative Council to suspend the membership of recently elected JD(S) members Sharavana and D Mallikarjuna.
Kumaraswamy spent the money collected from aspiring MLCs on a lavish party outing in Sri Lanka, Sathyananda alleged.
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