Karnataka bribegate diary case: BJP 'manufactured' plot, claims Congress

Coming out defiantly against the Karnataka bribegate diary case, the Congress on Sunday questioned its veracity, saying that the entire thing has been planted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"These diaries are manufactured. We had warned the people of Karnataka that this is a plot by the Central minister and the BJP president, which was explained by the Congress in its press conference. We knew it was happening," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI.

"This is a tale which has been cooked up in the context of the elections that will come up in Karnataka. It is a long thought-out process. These are issues we are not worried about. This is typical of the BJP to defame the Congress," he added.

Taking a jibe at Textile Minister Smriti Irani, who has demanded a probe into the matter, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said had the former opined the same when the Birla and Sahara diaries came to light, he would have taken her more seriously.

"The Supreme Court, in the case of the Sahara and Birla diaries, had held that it is not enough to order an investigation when there is no corroborative to what is given in the dairy. So, when this happened and Modi's name was in it, then if Smriti Irani had objected and said that there should be an investigation, I would today be ready to take her more seriously," Aiyar told ANI.

The details of a secret diary of Congress MLC K. Govindaraju, who is also the parliamentary secretary to Karnataka's Chief Minister, reportedly containing details of alleged payments that were made by Karnataka ministers to the Congress high command around the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, have been leaked.

State BJP chief B.S. Yedyurappa claimed the diary contained 'explosive information' about money paid to top Congress leaders, including party president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Digvijay Singh and party treasurer Motilal Vohra.

Motilal Vohra, however, has denied any connection with the Karnataka bribegate diary case saying he knows nothing about it. Govindaraju has also denied having any knowledge of the diary.