BJP MLA’s bribe remark: Cong files complaint against Nadda, Bommai

Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the police, seeking an enquiry into the alleged offering of bribe to woo voters by BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi in the presence of party leaders JP Nadda and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The complaint has been lodged against the trio with High Grounds Police, and Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar and LoP Siddaramaiah are signatories to it.
A copy of the video footage was attached with the complaint as evidence, the complainants said. The video clearly shows Jarkiholi soliciting voters for Rs 6,000 each on January 22. The complainants said it is a blatant and brazen bid to hijack democracy and are obvious criminal offences under sections 171B, read with 107, 120B, 506 of the Indian Penal Code 1860. It is also a bribe offering to the voters as per the provisions of section 123(1) of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, they said. The complainants also claimed that the BJP is planning to distribute Rs 30,000 crore to woo the voters for winning the elections. “This shows that BJP leaders have ill-gotten money to the tune of over Rs 30,000 crores to bribe the voters and to hijack the elections,” they alleged.
The Congress stated that the arrest of a group of individuals and confiscation of their digital devices, would reveal the conspiracy to woo voters by distributing Rs 30,000 crore to them.
The party also sought Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate’s probe into the matter and initiate action against the BJP’s central and state leaders to find out the source of ill-gotten money of Rs 30,000 crores likely to be distributed to the voters.