Releasing copies of a letter containing allegations of corruption and interference in administration by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Vijayendra, purportedly bearing signatures of ‘disgruntled’ BJP MLAs, the Congress leaders in Mysuru on Wednesday claimed to have gathered documentary evidence to support the charges.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana said the party had gathered supporting documents on Mr. Vijayendra’sactivities and the same will be made public in New Delhi in the second or third week of September.
The letter sent to BJP’s National President J.P. Nadda a couple of months ago and also leaked to the media accuses Mr. Vijayendra of running a parallel government by appointing his own henchmen to manage the affairs of different departments and reducing the Ministers of the B.S. Yediyurappa Cabinet to mere dummies. The letter has not only also accused Mr. Vijayendra of amassing benami wealth to the tune of ₹5,000 crore, but also lists the names and mobile numbers of 31 people assisting him in his dealings.
After the letter was sent, the Congress, in a bid to find out the veracity of the allegations, carried out its own investigation into the matter. “We found that the charges were by and large true. We have gathered supporting documents in the form of cctv footage, audio conversations, video conversations and photographs of exchange of money. A large sum of money has been amassed through transfers in various departments. We will be gathering more such documents before going public in the national capital”, Mr. Lakshmana said.
The KPCC spokesperson, however, sought to clarify that these charges have been made by the BJP MLAs themselves and not by the Congress. “These are not our charges. These charges have been made by the BJP MLAs”, he said adding that the Congress had only gathered documents to support the charges made in the letter.
Signatures
The copies of the letter distributed to the media in Mysuru on Wednesday also bore seven signatures, which the Congress leaders said belonged to the ‘disgruntled’ BJP MLAs. “The letter released earlier did not bear any signatures, but we have managed to get a copy of the letter bearing the signatures of seven disgruntled BJP MLAs”, he said.
Demanding a probe into the charges levelled by the disgruntled MLAs, Mr. Lakshmana said the government should order an inquiry into the matter either by a High Court or Supreme Court judge.
Asked if the signatures were verified and found out to whom they belonged, Mr Lakshmana said it was upto the government to probe the matter and trace the signatories. “Whether the signatures are original or not, the government cannot escape the responsibility of ordering a probe into the veracity of the charges made in the letter”, the Congress spokesperson said.