New Delhi: A day after two its MLAs were caught in a sting selling their Rajya Sabha votes in exchange of money, the Janata Dal (Secular) said that the legislators were aware that a sting was on and were only amusing themselves.
“JD(S) MLAs were aware that a sting operation was on. What they told persons who approached them was, in my opinion, an effort to amuse themselves. They were just making buffoons of those who approached them, there was no transaction of money,’’ party’s Karnataka unit president HD Kumaraswamy told Indian Express.
He also hit out at the media, saying the sting was part of a systematic effort to undermine a regional party.
“Some national channels have targeted JD(S) in particular. Why did they come from Delhi and do a sting only in Karnataka?” the party leader said.
Defending the party MLAs, JD(S) national president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda said that the ‘legislators were discussing some things but they didn’t take money’.
“It is an effort to undermine JDS which is a small regional party compared to Congress and BJP,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has sought report from Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka about alleged sting operation on Rajya Sabha elections in the state.
The move came after the commission received queries from various media persons regarding alleged sting operations by some channels.
In the sting operation, four Karnataka MLAs including two of Janata Dal (Secular), were allegedly caught talking about exchange of money in lieu of their support in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Besides two JD(S) MLAs, the sting concerns one legislator of the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) and an Independent.
The two JD(S) MLAS, identified as Mallikarjun Khuba (Basavakalyana) and GT Deve Gowda (Chamundeshwari), were shown negotiating for rates upwards of Rs 5 crore for their vote, in the elections, to be held on June 11. The purported sting also showed an aide accompanying Deve Gowda asking if the rates are as high as Rs 10 crore.
Two other MLAs caught on tape are BR Patil (Aland) of KJP and Varthur Prakash (Kolar), an Independent. They were also shown talking about money in their conversations. In the sting, Patil was shown as admitting that the prices are being quoted for voting in the Rajya Sabha polls.
