In a startling revelation, the arrested Karnataka BJP leader G Devaraje Gowda alleged on Friday that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar offered him ₹100 crore to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Devaraje made the allegations while speaking to reporters from the police vehicle after being sent to judicial custody on Friday. Devaraje Gowda claimed that Shivakumar even sent him ₹ 5 crore as advance. "After I refused the offer, police cases were lodged against me and I was arrested. I am ready to expose him (DK Shivakumar) once I am released. The Congress government is going to collapse in Karnataka," he claimed.
Devaraje Gowda also claimed that the team of four ministers, including N Cheluvarayaswamy, Krishna Byre Gowda, and Priyank Kharge, was formed to handle the developments relating to the sex video scandal.
"They had planned in a big way to bring disrepute to Prime Minister Modi, and the BJP. They offered me ₹ 100 crore and sent ₹ 5 crore as advance to Room No. 110 at Bowring Club. A local leader from Channarayapatna, Gopalaswamy, was sent to negotiate the deal," Devaraje Gowda claimed.
Devarajer Gowda claims of having audio recordings of Shivakumar
"When I refused to be a part of their plans, they first fixed me in an atrocity case, but couldn't find any evidence. Later, they fixed me in a sexual harassment case. When this ploy also failed, they lodged a rape case against me. I was interrogated for four days, but they couldn't get anything," he claimed. While the police vehicle drove off, he claimed to have the audio recordings of Shivakumar’s conversation. "I have the audio recordings of Shivakumar's conversations. I will release them and the Congress government will collapse once I am out of prison."
Earlier on May 6, Devaraje Gowda had claimed that Shivakumar was behind the release of the pen drive containing sexual assault videos. He had also said that Prime Minister Modi was Congress' main target. "I do not trust the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex scandal. I will submit all the evidence to the CBI. The videos in my possession are different from those which have been released," he had claimed.
Notably, Devaraje Gowda was arrested by the Karnataka police six days ago in a sexual harassment and atrocity case. Gowda had reportedly written a letter to BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra in December 2023, saying that he had a copy of explicit content allegedly involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna with 2976 files.
What Shivakumar said?
Reacting to the allegations, Shivakumar said, "Better, let him (Gowda) file a case before Lokayukta or any other agency. I think he has some problems mentally. I'm very sorry, the national and state media shouldn't have picked up such baseless allegations.A person who is in jail, how can he make such allegations? All these are baseless. I don't want to comment."
On the question of whether he will be filing any defamation case against Gowda, he said, "I don't want to make any comment or speak on behalf of a person who is mentally sick. I appeal to his party people to get him a good treatment."
Meanwhile, minister Priyank Kharge also spoke about the allegations and said Gowda has alleged that three responsible ministers in the state government were part of a team and that there was a conspiracy. "We will discuss whatever legal course, we will take it."
(Witrh Inputs from agencies)
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