In a big embarrassment for the Congress in Karnataka, a senior minister's wife has been caught on tape taking money in a sting operation by a news channel. The sting carried out by Kannada channel Suvarna news on 3 November allegedly shows Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya wife Vijaya accepting part of the bribe money in her home.
The minister's wife allegedly took Rs 8 lakh for granting food supply contracts. The video also shows an agent who acts on behalf of the minister and negotiates about the bribe money for winning the Rs 7 crore tender by a private company representative.
The company was trying to bid for the tender for supply food in SC/ST hostels run by the government.
However, when the minister was confronted with the evidence, he dismissed it as a political conspiracy. "I have just heard about this. I have to check about it but such political conspiracies keep happening. I have not come into politics to make easy money, but serve people," he claimed.
Asked who was behind the conspiracy or whether there were people belonging to his party, Anjaneya said "I cannot tell who is and who is not behind the conspiracy."
Refusing to say much, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "I will have to examine it and will take action after that."
"Siddaramaiah, who has been claiming that his government is clean, stands exposed in the sting operation. The Chief Minister must immediately resign from the post," senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader KS Eshwarappa also said Anjaneya should immediately resign from his post. "I would not like to talk much about whether the minister's wife was involved in accepting bribe or not, but I would suggest the Minister to resign and Chief Minister initiate an inquiry into the issue," he added.
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