Congress, BJP spar over K’taka CM’s ‘horse trading’ allegations

Bengaluru: In a dramatic escalation of political tensions in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to topple his government by offering Rs 50 crore each to 50 Congress MLAs. Speaking at an event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah alleged, “None of our MLAs have accepted the offer,” while accusing the BJP of filing false cases against him to destabilise his government.

The BJP hit back fiercely, dismissing the allegations as baseless. Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra challenged Siddaramaiah to substantiate his claims. “The Chief Minister has lost faith in his own MLAs, and hence, he is resorting to these unfounded accusations. If he cannot prove this Rs 50 crore offer, the people will stop taking him seriously,” Vijayendra said.

The BJP leader also accused Siddaramaiah of undermining his office’s dignity. “You are in power, with control over investigating agencies. It is your responsibility to reveal the source of this claim. Otherwise, it’s just a childish political statement,” Vijayendra added, calling the allegations an “insult” to democracy by portraying MLAs as commodities.

Vijayendra demanded a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), urging the agency to take suo motu cognizance. “Such a serious charge needs immediate investigation,” he said.

Former BJP ministers V Sunil Kumar and C T Ravi also criticised Siddaramaiah, accusing him of making “baseless” claims to distract from corruption allegations against his government.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar stood by Siddaramaiah, asserting the BJP indeed made such offers. “Some of our MLAs informed the Chief Minister about these attempts. He only shared this with the media to expose the BJP’s tactics,” Shivakumar said.

Congress ministers G Parameshwara, N Chaluvarayaswamy, Santosh Lad, and K S Rajanna also backed Siddaramaiah, suggesting he must have credible information. “There is weight to his statement. The BJP and JD(S) have been trying everything to destabilise our government,” Parameshwara noted.

While Siddaramaiah refused to comment directly on Vijayendra, he dismissed the BJP leader’s criticism. “Why should I respond to someone who is a newcomer to politics?” he remarked.