Bengaluru: The state BJP has filed a criminal complaint against three ministers in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet and one MLC for “doctoring a video footage” of Union Minister Ananth Kumar and state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa in conversation.

The complaint claims Ministers Basavaraj Rayareddy, K. Ramesh Kumar, M.B. Patil and MLC V.S. Ugrappa released a CD to the media that was fabricated and doctored to show that the two had discussed pay-offs made to their party high command when in power in the state.

The complaint said the CD was aimed at misleading the public and casting aspirations on the two leaders for political reasons. “This act of the Congress leaders is a clear criminal conspiracy. We request you to initiate criminal action against them for doctoring and manipulating an electronic document to bring disrepute to the leaders,” the complaint signed by party spokesman Ashwathnarayana, MLC V. Somanna and city unit leader Subbanna said, arguing that spreading false propaganda on the Internet and social media was a serious offence.

The BJP and Congress have been trading charges of late over payments allegedly made by their state units to their national leaders. While state BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa shot off the first salvo, claiming CM Siddaramaiah had paid Rs 1,000 crore to national leaders of the Congress to save his position, the Congress hit back with a CD of an alleged conversation between him and Kumar referring to a similar payment made to their national leader during BJP rule in the state.

It may be recalled that Congress Chief Whip in the Legislative Council Ivan D’Souza had filed a complaint with the Malleshwaram police seeking action against Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar for planning destabilize the Congress party.