Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the BJP would give a corruption-free Karnataka, a BJP MLA’s son has been caught red-handed taking bribes. In an operation by the Karnataka Lokayukta, V Prashant Madal, who works as a chief accountant with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) was caught taking Rs 40 lakh as bribe at his father Channagiri BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa’s office in Crescent Nagar in Bengaluru. The Congress has called for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s resignation.
Bommai, meanwhile, reacted saying that those guilty need to be punished. “We reinstated Lokayukta to curb corruption. Let the Lokayukta sleuths investigate the matter without bias. Congress also faced many allegations during its tenure, but all the cases were buried. We have been repeatedly saying that we will investigate impartially. Lokayukta is an independent body—our stand is that whoever is at fault should be punished,” he said.
According to initial reports, the bribe was meant for the MLA and the son was taking it on his behalf. MLA Madal Virupakshappa is the chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (K&SDL). The raid was organised after a complaint was registered by the person from whom Prashant had demanded the bribe for a tender. During the raid, in addition to the Rs 40 lakh intended as bribe, Rs 1.2 crore was also recovered at the MLA’s office. Lokayukta also raided Prashant’s house in Dollars Colony in Bengaluru on the morning of March 3 and reportedly recovered Rs 6 crore. Lokayukta is likely to raid the MLA’s and his son’s houses in Channagiri in Davanagere district.
A week ago, speaking at the Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Ballari, Amit Shah had said, “Trust PM Modi once and trust Yediyurappa once. We will form a government that will make Karnataka corruption-free and the number one state in southern India.”