Dramatic scenes unfolded in Karnataka on Friday. Hours before Friday's state budget presentation, Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy called a press conference and dropped a bomb. He released two audio clips claiming that BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa was luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs to topple his government in Karnataka.
The audio clip, in Kannada, is a conversation allegedly between Yeddyurappa and JD(S) MLA Naganagowda Kandkur's son Sharanagouda, where the former offered Rs 25 crore to the latter to resign to help the BJP topple the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.
Here are the two audio clips of the conversation allegedly between Yeddyurappa and Sharanagouda.
In the clip, a male voice is heard offering money and ministerial berth, besides assuring Sharanagouda about "taking care" of the speaker and the judges in case of the Anti- Defection Law being invoked. Kumaraswamy alleged 'Operation Lotus' was far from over and Yeddyurappa's attempts were on the same lines.
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Kumaraswamy also did not spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “demolishing democracy”. He claimed that Yeddyurappa had also boasted of support from the speaker, Modi, Amit Shah, and the Supreme Court, too.
Hitting back, Yeddyurappa dismissed the audio clips as "fake" and "a concocted story" and said he had not met anyone to woo Naganagowda as alleged. Yeddyurappa said he went to Devadurga to visit a temple and flew back to the city.
(With inputs from Prathima Nandakumar)