Ugrappa wants EC to probe BJP

Updated on: 02 June,2009 04:41 PM IST |
PTI |

Ugrappa wants EC to probe BJP

Congress leader in the Karnataka Legislative Council V S Ugrappa today demanded that the Election Commission order a probe into an allegation reportedly made by a BJP minister over distribution of liquor and money in the Lok Sabha polls in a key constituency.

"The EC should take suo motu cognisance of the statement by the state's Minister for Energy K S Eswarappa who called for an inquiry by his party into allegations of distribution of liquor and money in Shimoga Parliamentary constituency", Ugrappa told reporters here.

The Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra had won the Shimoga seat, defeating senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister S Bangarappa. Eswarappa, a senior state BJP leader, had reportedly made the demand at Shimoga yesterday.

Eswarappa's remarks lend credence to Congress' charges that the government had resorted to such methods, he said and also demanded that Yeddyurappa institute a judicial probe into the matter involving all the 28 constituencies in the state. Ugrappa charged that while the legislature approved a total budget of Rs 60,497.19 crore for the year 2008-09, the government without taking both houses into confidence has revised the budget estimates to Rs 51,173.43 crore.

Karnataka has become a bankrupt state, Ugrappa claimed and flayed the government for celebrating its "vikas sankalp utsav" on the occasion of it completing one year in office with tax payer's money.