H. D. Kumaraswamy, the former chief minister of Karnataka and son of former Indian prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda, has landed in trouble with a section of his party workers alleging that he demanded 40 crore from a leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) to elect him as the Member of the Legislative Council (MLC).
An audio CD purportedly containing recorded conversations between Kumaraswamy and the MLC post aspirant, Vijugouda Patil, was circulated to leading Kannada TV news channels by a section of the JD( S) leaders on Saturday.
The conversation allegedly took place prior to the recent elections to the MLC post.
Interestingly, the party did not nominate Vijugouda Patil, a prominent leader from Bijapur district, North Karnataka, for the polls.
A voice, which Vijugouda Patil’s followers allege is that of Kumaraswamy, is heard demanding 40 crore to support the candidature for the MLC post.
“I am willing to propose your name. But my party MLAs do not listen to me... they want 1 crore each to cast vote in your favor. They have their own problems. Some of them have to clear their loans. They won’t sign in your favor unless you pay them,” it is heard.
The revelation has created a furore in the political circles in Karnataka. Kumaraswamy, however, vehemently denied having demanded the money.
