Irrelevant and malicious: Yeddyurappa dismisses Congress’ claims of alleged pay-offs

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Mar 22, 2019 : Hours after Congress levelled allegations on former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa in connection with a bribery case, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader hit back. Yeddyurappa termed the allegations as baseless, irrelevant and malicious’, Zeenews reported.

 

"Congress leaders who are apt in carrying out all these atrocious and malicious campaigns have planted this story in the media to gain political mileage in the coming elections," Yeddyurappa said in a statement.
 
"Congress party and its leaders are bankrupt of issues and ideas. They don’t have any development issues to discuss in public. Basically, they are frustrated with growing popularity of the prime minister Narendra Modiji and BJP. Congress leaders have realized that their defeat in the 2019 elections is imminent," he added.

Addressing the allegations, he said that all the issues being raised by Congress including one raised by them about alleged payment of crores of rupees has already been inquired and was found to be fake.

"IT department officials have already probed the issue to find that the documents and signatures and handwritten notes are forged one," he said adding that the issue is a closed chapter.

Earlier in the day, the Congress had sought an investigation by the Lokpal into a media report that alleged bribes of Rs 1800 crore were paid by Yeddyurappa to several top  BJP leaders. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had also sought a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

Surjewala was quoting a media report which said that a diary containing details of the alleged pay-offs to senior BJP leaders was seized by the Income Tax Department during raids. "Prima facie, this is a case of investigating all BJP leaders, right from the PM and downwards. It is a fit case to be investigated by the newly appointed Lokpal," Surjewala said.

"The diary with B S Yeddyurappa’s signature on it was with the Income Tax Department since 2017. If that is the case why did Modi and the BJP not get it investigated," Surjewala asked.