BJP-Congress trade charges after recovery of Rs 10.5 lakh unaccounted cash

A war of words broke out between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Karnataka over the recovery of Rs 105 lakh unaccounted cash from a Public Works Department engineer at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday eveningWhile the Congress alleged that the Vidhana Soudha has become a shopping mall and the BJP stood for Broker Janata Party Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai reminded the opposition how Rs 25 lakh cash was allegedly seized from the staff of Congress MLA from Chamarajanagar C Puttarangashetty four years agoThe security personnel at Vidhana Soudha held the PWD engineer Jagadish on Thursday with the cash After he failed to give any satisfactory reply the security personnel handed over the cash to the Cubbon Park policeThe policemen waited for some time allowing the engineer to furnish details but after he failed he was arrested on Thursday nightThe recovery of cash led to a political storm in the pollbound Karnataka with the opposition and the ruling parties trading charges against each otherFormer Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah charged that the engineer might have come to pay it to the Chief Minister or the PWD Minister C C PatilAlso read Congress leader Siddaramaiah calls Ktaka CM Bommai puppy before PMBribery is going on in the Vidhana Soudha It is happening right under the nose of Chief Minister Whom did he come to pay He might have come to pay the CM or the PWD Minister Siddaramaiah saidThe Congress state president D K Shivakumar said the incident proved once again that nothing moves in the Vidhana Soudha without paying a bribeNo bills are getting cleared without paying 40 per cent or 50 per cent bribe They ruling BJP ask for evidence when we accuse them of collecting 40 per cent commission Isnt this incident a proof Shivakumar saidCongress MLA and party national president Mallikarjun Kharges son Priyank Kharge held a press conference alleging that the BJP does not mean Bharatiya Janata Party anymoreIt is not Bharatiya Janata Party anymore The BJP today has become Brokers Janata Party This Broker Janata Party has turned the pious Vidhana Soudha into Vyapara Soudha Business Palace It has become worlds biggest shopping mall Kharge allegedIn this shopping mall people can purchase the jobs of police subinspectors assistant engineer and assistant professors All the government jobs are on sale here Our top officials ministers and the MLAs are the best salesmen here They are all members of the Broker Janata Party Kharge chargedHitting back Bommai said the staff of a Congress MLA Puttarangashetty too was caught with cash I would like to ask Siddaramaiah about Rs 25 lakh found from the office of Putarangashetty What action did you take Did you arrest the man who brought it or whom it was paid to or did you sack the minister You are the one who had shut the Lokayukta office the Chief Minister allegedHe said a probe has been ordered and the truth would come out soonKarnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said investigations were underway to find out whose cash was it where was he taking it or why was he having such a huge amountThe investigations are on At this juncture I will not say anything Jnanendra saidThe PWD Minister C C Patil said the Congress charges that the money was meant for him were far from truthIf he engineer with cash had to pay me then where was the need to come to the Vidhana Soudha He could have given me elsewhere Police will take action against him Patil told reporters hereThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever