Bengaluru: A day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was ready to retire from politics if BJP state president B.S.Yeddyurappa could prove the Rs 1,000-crore payoff allegation, the Lingayat strongman hit back saying if his allegation was proved wrong, he would retire from active politics. Yeddyurappa had claimed that Siddaramaiah had paid Rs 1,000 crore through Congress MLC Govindaraju to top Congress leaders to stay in his CM post.
Speaking to reporters at his Dollars Colony residence here on Monday, Mr. Yeddyurappa said, “If my allegations are proved right, will you (Siddaramaiah) quit as CM? I am stand my words that Siddaramaiah gave Rs 1000 crore to the high command to save his chair.
To approve the proposal for construction of the steel bridge from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal flyover, he has taken kickbacks running into Rs 65 crore. All these details are mentioned in MLC Govindaraju’s dairy which was seized by IT sleuths recently”, he alleged.
“If you are able to prove that you have not paid off Congress senior leaders at Delhi and have not taken kickbacks for the steel bridge project, I will retire from politics. I want a clarification from you”, Mr Yeddyurappa said
MLC writes to IT Dept
Meanwhile, visibly disturbed over the attack on him by Yeddyurappa, Congress MLC Govindaraju has written a letter to the Director General (Investigation) of the Income Tax department seeking a clarification on whether the department has provided information to Yeddyurappa. “Please clarify if the IT department agreed to provide information on material seized during the search/ raid conducted by them, to Yeddyurappa or any other person?,” he said in the letter.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Govindaraju said, he will file a defamation case against the BJP state president for making false allegations against him.
“If Yeddyurappa has any information about the incriminating diary or documents, let him release it. I don’t have any documents. His allegations against me are malafide in nature, my advocate has issued a notice to him for making false allegations”, Govindaraju said.
