K’taka Congress Releases Audio, Levels Bribery Charges Against BJP

The MLA in question is heard rejecting the offer, saying his loyalties lie with the Congress, who gave him a ticket.

Congress MLC VS Ugrappa, who was present at the briefing, said that the clip clearly demonstrated how the BJP was attempting to engineer a defection in order to prove its majority in the floor test.

(Photo: Twitter/@INCKarnatka)

The election drama in Karnataka took a new turn on the evening of Friday, 18 May, with the Karnataka Congress alleging bribery and horse-trading by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a press conference, a delegation from the party released an audio clip, where a person, allegedly mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, is heard making promises of money to the Congress MLA from Raichur Rural, Basanagouda Daddala.

Here’s the audio clip released by the Congress:

In the recording, Reddy is allegedly heard telling the MLA that an individual meeting with Amit Shah would be arranged, promising that the MLA “would earn a hundred times what he lost”.

The MLA in question is heard rejecting the offer, saying that his loyalties lie with the Congress who gave him a ticket.

Congress MLC VS Ugrappa, who was present at the briefing, said the clip clearly demonstrated how the BJP was attempting to engineer a defection in order to prove its majority in the floor test, scheduled for Saturday, 19 May. He alleged that the BJP had done so through Reddy, whom they were reportedly attempting to distance themselves from.

Daddala is from the same community as B Sriramulu, who is a close friend of Reddy. In 2008, Daddala contested from a BJP ticket in Raichur Rural, and in 2013 he contested from Manvi on a ticket from Sriramulu’s BSR Congress. He lost both times, only registering a win in 2018, after he switched to the Congress.

Read the full transcript of the audio clip below:

Janardhana Reddy*: Is it Basanagouda? Are you free?

Daddala*: Yes it is me.

JR: Forget all that has happened before, forget all the bad things. I am telling you, that my good time has begun. And I will arrange a meeting with the national president and you can speak to him one-on-one and we can take the next step.

BD: No sir, when I was on my last leg they made me MLA.

JR: I will tell you one thing. BSR time we had a very bad time when we formed the party, where there was a lot of opposition. There is no doubting that you have lost a lot by believing in us. But I am telling you, you will grow a 100 times more. Shivanagouda Nayak became a minister because of me. Today he is strong and able to look after himself. It all happened because of me. Raju Gowda also benefitted because of me.

(* allegedly)

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