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Cash gift row: Bommai denies allegations, calls it Cong ‘toolkit’
Even as the Karnataka unit of Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the case, Bommai has said that he was unaware of the “cash” being given to journalists along with sweets for Diwali.
After allegations of chief minister’s office allegedly bribing journalists by sending them a cash gift of ₹1 lakh during Diwali came to the fore, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday denied allegations calling it Congress “toolkit”.
Even as the Karnataka unit of Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the case, Bommai has said that he was unaware of the “cash” being given to journalists along with sweets for Diwali.
“This is the result of Congress’ toolkit, they are trying to create a lie. I have not given any instructions to anyone (to give cash gifts),” Bommai said while responding to the queries regarding the allegations from his office.
After the reports of a non-government organisation ‘Janaadhikara Sanghasha Parishath’ complaining to the Karnataka Lokayukta against the chief minister came to the light, Bommai said someone has filed a complaint before the Lokayukta on the issue, and let the investigation happen for the truth come out.
The Congress on Saturday alleged that Bommai tried to bribe journalists by sending ₹1 lakh cash gifts to them on Diwali and demanded the registration of a graft case as well as his resignation. It also sought a judicial inquiry into the allegations.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Bommai said when the Congress was in power, what gifts were given by various people are “clearly known”, and the media had reported it, “whether it was iPhones or laptops or gold coins”.
“What morality do they (Congress) have? Above all, someone has filed a complaint in this regard to Lokayukta and Lokayukta will investigate. It is not right to interpret that the gifts were given or all journalists have taken it. Yesterday, a Congress spokesperson interpreted it very wrongly. I condemn it,” he added.
On the complaint filed with the Lokayukta in the wake of the allegation, the BJP leader said the matter will be investigated. “Let the investigation be completed,” he said.
The Congress on Saturday had asserted that a case should be filed against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Reacting to Bommai’s comments, Rajya Sabha member and senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, who is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Karnataka, however, called it a “bribegate” in which the chief minister was directly involved.
“The Bommai government’s bribegate is now out in the open and this time the responsibility lies at the doorstep of the chief minister himself,” he said.
“This time, Bommai has surreptitiously, overtly and in a conspiratorial fashion tried to bribe the entire journalistic fraternity by sending ₹1 lakh cash to every journalist in Karnataka. Hats off to our journalist friends who openly exposed the bribegate,” Surjewala told reporters.
Surjewala also claimed that under the BJP governance, there have been allegations of bribery and corruption in recruitment, postings, contracts and even in providing grants to religious mutts.
“CM Bommai has been caught red-handed in the bribery to journalists scam. A case of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act for offering bribes should be registered against Bommai and he should resign immediately,” the Congress leader said.
(With inputs from PTI)
