Bribery sting: BJP petitions guv for removal of Karnataka minister

www.mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, Nov 7, 2015: Amidst the row over the bribery sting involving the wife of Karnataka minister Anjaneya, BJP today approached the governor for his sacking even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he is still collecting information regarding the allegation.

"I’m still collecting information; after that, I will tell you what I have decided," he told reporters here.

In a video clip aired by a prominent Kannada TV channel on Thursday, a man is seen placing a bundle of currency notes on a table in front of Social Welfare Minister Anjaneya’s wife at their house.

The channel claimed that the money was a bribe of Rs 7 lakh which was purportedly offered for approval of a tender worth Rs 7 crore in a particular district. The channel had also said that it had used fake currency notes in the sting operation.

Looking to corner the state government over the row, BJP in a memorandum submitted to Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala sought his intervention for removing Anjaneya. The petition was signed by its state unit chief Prahlad Joshi and former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka.

BJP said it is "very painful" to know that the minister’s wife was directly handling corrupt deals on his behalf from their house. They are "shamelessly" trying to loot money from the supply of food meant for poor students at government hostels.

Condemning Siddaramaiah’s silence on the issue, BJP further charged that the "chief minister is shielding the minister due to his proximity to him".

BJP also slammed Anjaneya for trying to take shelter by "unabashedly" playing the Dalit card and said it is ridiculous that he was making a brazen attempt to project himself as a victim by claiming that he was being targeted as he belongs to a downtrodden community.

Saying that the minister is already under the scanner in a scam pertaining to the purchase of beds and pillows, BJP said his continuation in the Cabinet would seriously "jeopardise" the public’s confidence in the democratic system.

Unfazed by the controversy, Anjaneya had defended his wife, saying that the operation was a ’conspiracy’ to defame him.