Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 8: Both Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and minister, D K Shivakumar, have publicly charged BJP leaders of contacting Congress legislators and offering them lures to cross over to BJP.

While KPCC president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, accused BJP leaders of contacting 80 legislators from his party and extending lure to them. Shivakumar said that five BJP leaders have entered the fray exclusively to engineer Operation Lotus.

Addressing a press conference at KPCC office, Dinesh said that BJP is prepared to throw principles to wind in a bid to destabilize the state government and cause its downfall. He recalled that in the past, BJP had resorted to immoral means to form the government through Operation Lotus. He questioned the rationale and justice behind the attempt being now made to lure Congress MLAs. "B S Yeddyurappa hs been lobbying hard at Delhi level but our people will not fall prey to them. Our MLAs who have visited Delhi have gone there to discuss party organization and strengthening of the party, not for anything else, he clarified. He predicted that the Operation Lotus of BJP will be doomed.

Speaking near the chief minister's home office, 'Krishna', Shivakumar said that five BJP leaders have taken the lead to entice Congress leaders and these leaders have been continuing this effort day in and day out. "We have full information about the people whom BJP leaders contacted, and we will bring out the details at an appropriate time," he stated.

Shivakumar refused to confirm or deny media reports about efforts being made by BJP to make Vijayendra, son of retired director general of police, Shankar Bidari, as the head of Karnataka zone of Central Bureau of Investigation. "Vijayendra is an honest officer, and young. It is but natural for the people to nurse a desire to work in their native ground. Shankar Bidari has been politicizing everything. He had built his own party against BJP. We need not give political hue to these issues," he said. When questioned about ministry expansion, he said he would have answered this question if he was the chief minister.