BJP offered Rs 100 crore to JD-S MLAs, claims HD Kumaraswamy

Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of offering Rs 100 crore to the JD-S lawmakers to switch sides.

“I have been offered from both sides. I am not saying this loosely. I want people to see all this. They have promised people in my party 100 crores in cash and cabinet posts. I urge Karnataka people to understand what is happening. They have all the money in Delhi. BJP had given MLAs crores of money to get to power,” Kumaraswamy said while addressing a press conference in Bengaluru.

Reacting to Kumaraswamy's allegations of horsetrading, Union Minister and BJP's Karnataka in-charge Prakash Javadekar said, "The 100 crore figure is imaginary, we aren't into horsetrading of any kind."

Early on Tuesday, Karnataka gave a fractured mandate with the BJP emerging as the single largest party in a hung house. The Congress remained number two with 78 seats, whereas the JD-s secured 37 seats.

Everyone was hoping that the BJP would easily form the government as it appeared to cross the simple majority. However, the party fell short of the majority and could manage to win only 104 seats.

Then came a twist in the tale, the Congress joined hands with the JD-S and staked claim to form the government in a bid to keep the BJP out of power.

The BJP, being the single largest party, cried foul and went to the Governor to stake claim to form the government.

Joined Congress to remove a black spot from my father’s career

Referring to his decision to join hands with the BJP to become the chief minister, Kumaraswamy said that his decision to join the Congress was a second chance to remove the black spot from his father, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s career.

“I have been offered from both sides. I am not saying this loosely. There’s a black spot on my father’s career because of my decision to go with the BJP in 2004 & 2005. So God has given me the opportunity to remove this black spot. So I am going with the Congress,” he said.

Both the BJP and the Congress-JD-S coalition had staked claims to form the government in the southern state and the ball was in Governor Vajubhai Vala’s court.