Bangalore: Former chief minister H?D?Kumaraswamy’s cash-for-vote statement is likely to cost him dear. A section of JD(S) legislators have grouped together and are planning to seek an explanation from him through his father H D?Deve Gowda.
Around 20 legislators have decided to approach JD(S)?president Deve Gowda, urging him to convene a meeting and seek an explanation from Kumaraswamy.
An audio CD?surfaced on Saturday, in which Kumaraswamy is purportedly heard confessing that JD(S) MLAs were demanding Rs one crore each to vote for the party’s candidate in the Council elections.
This he said when supporters of JD(S) leader Vijugouda Patil, who released the CD, approached Kumaraswamy, seeking a ticket for Patil to contest the Council elections. The JD(S) leader has not denied the contents.
The disgruntled legislators held an informal meetings in the lobby of the Assembly on Monday. At the meeting, the JD(S) leaders are said to have expressed their discontent against Kumaraswamy.
Magadi MLA H?C?Balakrishna said he was not aware the context in which Kumaraswamy made the statement.
“I have never asked for money to vote during Council polls. It is common in all parties that candidates seek party funds while contesting Assembly polls. I do not know why he made the statement. We will raise the issue in the party forum,” he said.
It is said that Balakrishna no longer shares a good equation with Kumaraswamy. So also Cheluvarayaswamy, the MLA from Nagamangala.
Another MLA?G?T?Deve Gowda said Kumaraswamy might have made the statement to ward off the large number of aspirants for the ticket to contest the Council?election. Asked whether MLAs had indeed sought money from Kumaraswamy, an embarrassed looking Cheluvarayaswamy said, “It is not appropriate to ask the question”.
MLA?Shivalinge Gowda said that it is a fact that Kumaraswamy is a bit disillusioned with the developments within the party.
“During our trip to Sri Lanka, we discussed many issues faced by the party and one such issue was shortage of funds. Lot of churning is going on in the party.
Yet, during the Council polls, none of us received money to vote. It is a conspiracy by the Congress or BJP. Vijugouda Patil is the brother of Congress MLA Shivananda Patil.”
Sources in the party said that many MLAs are of the view that the party has no future and it is better to align with the BJP or the Congress. Sons of Kumaraswamy and H?D?Revanna are already calling the shots in the party and this too, has not gone down well with the seniors, it is said.
Most of the JD(S) MLAs skipped the lunch hosted by Water Resources Minister M?B?Patil at?the Banquet Hall in Vidhana Soudha on Monday afternoon, as they felt embarrassed by the ‘confession’ of Kumaraswamy.
