Karnataka Ministers Reject BJP's Fundraising Allegations for Bihar Assembly Elections

Karnataka ministers have dismissed allegations from the BJP regarding fundraising for the Bihar Assembly elections. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar challenged the BJP to provide evidence, asserting confidence in the Congress party's integrity and its prospects in Bihar.

Karnataka Ministers criticised the BJP on Tuesday for accusing the ruling Congress of collecting funds for the Bihar Assembly elections. Senior BJP figures, Jagadish Shettar and B Y Raghavendra, claimed Congress ministers were pressuring officials to contribute money under the guise of renewals. Shettar also alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hosted a cabinet dinner related to the Bihar elections.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who leads the state Congress unit, dismissed these allegations and demanded evidence. "I think Vijayendra and Raghavendra are recalling their own practices. We don’t do it, and we don’t need to. He’s just making a hit-and-run statement. Where is the evidence? If there is any, let them show it," Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.

Congress Ministers Respond to Allegations

State IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge responded by posting an old video of former Union Minister late Ananth Kumar and B S Yediyurappa discussing Rs 1,800 crore in black money allegedly sent to the BJP high command. Kharge questioned if BJP leaders had forgotten this revelation. He reminded Raghavendra of his father’s earlier statements about payments for political positions.

Kharge accused the BJP of turning Karnataka’s resources into a business venture. "The credit for dedicating Karnataka’s resources to the high command belongs to the BJP, not to the Congress," he added. State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy also dismissed the BJP’s claims as laughable, accusing them of spreading lies.

BJP Faces Accusations of Corruption

Reddy criticised the BJP's alleged use of corrupt funds for elections, referencing ‘Operation Lotus’ where horse-trading supposedly occurred. "You, who are the very Gangotri source of corruption, trying to portray yourselves as clean-handed today, is the biggest joke of the century!" Reddy said in Kannada on X.

Reacting to Kharge’s post, Ananth Kumar’s daughter Aishwarya Ananthkumar accused Kharge of stooping low. She wrote on X, "Shri @PriyankKharge avare, this is a new low even for you. After your failed attempt to defame the RSS, you have now decided to come after Shri Ananthkumar ji."

Aishwarya reminded Kharge that the video discussion involved a diary from a Congress CM with initials of their high command and kickbacks noted. "This tweet of yours will come back to haunt your own leaders. Remember, truth has a tendency to reveal itself," she stated.

The political exchange highlights ongoing tensions between Karnataka's ruling Congress and opposition BJP over election funding allegations. Both parties continue to accuse each other of unethical practices while defending their own actions.

With inputs from PTI