BJP offered me Rs 30 crore to resign, claims JD(S) MLA

Janata Dal (Secular) MLA K Srinivasa Gowda alleged that the BJP offered him Rs 30 crore to resign from the JD (S).

Addressing media here, Gowda said that out of the aforesaid sum, BJP leaders paid Rs 5 crore as advance, which, he said, he accepted.

"BJP's CN Ashwathnarayan, SR Vishwanath and CP Yogeshwara came to my home, offered Rs 30 crore and gave Rs 5 crore in advance. They wanted me to resign from JD(S). I told them I am loyal to the party and will never do it. I spoke to HD Kumaraswamy and told them to take back that money (Rs 5 crore)," said Gowda.

On Saturday, the Congress had alleged that Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa had offered a total of around Rs 200 crore to 18 Congress MLAs in an attempt to destabilise the ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state.

Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that Yeddyurappa offered Rs 10 crore per MLA and Rs 50 crore to the Speaker.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy on Friday removed dissenting Congress MLA Dr Umesh Jadhav from Warehouse Corporation chairmanship and replaced him with Pratap Gowda Patil.

Furthermore, Congress MLA from Raichur Basanagouda Daddal was appointed as the chairman of Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Board.

Ever since the Congress-JD(S) jointly formed the government in Karnataka in May last year, there have been murmurs of resentment among them.

In the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the BJP has 104 seats, while the JD(S) has 37 seats and Congress 80 seats.