BENGALURU: The storm kicked up by the audio tapes released by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday is not likely to die down, with Speaker Ramesh Kumar set to rekindle the matter in the House on Monday. 

After being petitioned by the Chief Minister that his name had cropped up in the conversation between BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa and Gurmitkal MLA Naganagouda Patil’s son Sharangouda over horse trading, Ramesh Kumar is to take up the matter for discussion suo motu in the House. 

While the Congress-JD(S) combine prepares to take on a BJP that may find itself in a spot after Yeddyurappa changed his tune over the veracity of the tapes, the saffron party also decided to submit another set of audio tapes. BJP hopes to counter the coalition with an old audiotape of Kumaraswamy demanding `25 crore from Viju Gouda. 

“It happened years ago and it was an internal party matter. I have no money, but there are people in the party who have the money to contest elections. Unlike them (BJP), I did not call  anyone from another party to jump ships,” Kumaraswamy said. 

“The double standards of Congress leaders are exposed. Why is the Congress silent on the murky episode involving Kumaraswamy, when he demanded `25 crore from Viju Gouda to be nominated to the legislative council? Even the CM is not ready to speak on this  issue...” the BJP on Sunday. 

The party also hopes to bring up the matter of unaccounted-for cash being seized from Congress minister Puttaranga Shetty’s office. “Let there be a probe into both audio tapes. The truth of the tapes Kumaraswamy has released, and the tapes BJP has released, should be investigated,” Yeddyurappa said on Sunday. 

Kolar MLA claims he was offered D25cr by BJP

Amidst the controversy over BS Yedyurappa tapes, JDS legislator K Srinivasa Gowda, from Kolar, claimed he was offered D25 crore to resign from his post. Along with this, he says he was also offered a ministerial berth in the assembly. The legislator said that they had paid an advance of D5 crore in his Bengaluru residence, which was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister. Srinivasa Gowda said this alleged incident occurred three months back.

While addressing a press conference, Gowda said he would not buy into their demands and assurances. He has won from JDS, and he would continue to work for the party and the development of the constituency. He said that the BJP dreams of forming the government by purchasing legislators, and that the dream would not come true. Gowda said one former MLA and two legislators from BJP approached him and paid an advance of D5 crore. They also assured him that D20 crore would be payed to him, along with a ministerial berth in the assembly.