Vijayendra rebuffs CM’s Waqf land bribe allegations

Asks CM to hand over MUDA and Valmiki Corpn. multi-crore scams to CBI

Belagavi: Taking on the Congress Government for accusing him of offering Rs. 150 crore to the then Karnataka State Minorities Development Corporation Chairman Anwar Manippady, who is also a BJP leader, for remaining silent on Waqf Board land encroachments, State BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said that the Congress had made this baseless charge against him to divert attention from its own scandals.

Speaking at the Winter Session of the State Legislature, which resumed after a 2-day break at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) in Belagavi this morning, Vijayendra responded in detail to the charges levelled against him by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Expressing his frustration over what he termed frivolous accusations, Vijayendra stated that the charges were made by CM Siddaramaiah and Minister Priyank Kharge while he was not present in the House.

Reiterating that he had not offered any money to Manippady, he noted that the CM has now announced that the Government has decided to order a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe into the allegations against him.

“I am glad to see the CM has finally expressed confidence in the CBI, an agency he had previously accused of bias and targeting Opposition leaders,” Vijayendra said. He further emphasised that the Congress Government should also hand over cases like the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, in which the CM himself is involved and the Valmiki Development Corporation scam to the CBI.

Vijayendra alleged that the CM’s Rs. 150 crore offer charge was an attempt to save his own skin and shift public focus away from the scandals plaguing the State Government.

While Vijayendra was speaking, Ministers Priyank Kharge and Krishna Byregowda intervened to reiterate the charges against him, leading to heated exchanges. Opposition Leader in the State Assembly R. Ashoka and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad rose in support of Vijayendra.

 Subsequently, a fierce debate erupted between the ruling and Opposition benches. Speaker U.T. Khader intervened and appealed for calm, but his efforts went in vain as the leaders continued to exchange barbs, creating a temporary uproar in the House. The current session will conclude on Dec. 19.