The Congress party, during its much-awaited press conference on Friday, accused top BJP leaders of receiving bribes.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, referring to a report by The Caravan titled ‘Yeddy diaries’, said that former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa bribed the top leadership of the government in 2009.
Yeddyurappa, however, rubbished the charge, saying that the notes were forged.
According to the report, the Income Tax department was in possession of diary entries by Yeddyurappa claiming that he paid Rs 1,800 crores to the BJP's national leaders, and that the notes were made in his own handwriting in a Karnataka state assembly legislator's 2009 diary in Kannada.
Congress claims that in 2017 they had made a video recording of the same, in which Yeddyurappa and BJP leader Ananth Kumar Hegde were heard talking about the bribes.
The briefing was scheduled at 10.30 am, but was deferred to this afternoon.
"The copies of the diary pages note that Yeddyurappa paid the BJP Central Committee Rs 1,000 crore; that he paid the finance minister Arun Jaitley and the transport minister Nitin Gadkari Rs 150 crore each; that he gave the home minister Rajnath Singh Rs 100 crore; and that he paid the BJP stalwart LK Advani and the senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi Rs 50 crore each. Besides this, the entry notes, Yeddyurappa paid Rs 10 crore for ‘Gadkari’s son’s marriage’,” the Caravan report says.
From this diary, five facts have come out. Close to Rs 2690 crore was sought and 1800 crore was given to BJP. Yedyurappa was the CM during the period. There are his signatures on each page. This was given to BJP's central team, claims Surjewala
We have caught a theft and the thief. BJP leaders have been caught in a corruption case: Surjewala
The diary mentions names of senior BJP leaders from Rajnath Singh to Jaitley. There is an allegation of bribe worth Rs 1800 crore against BJP's top leadership, says Randeep Surjewala
Is it true or false? The diary with BS Yeddyurappa's sign on it was with the Income Tax Department since 2017. If that is the case, why did Modi ji and BJP did not get it investigated?: Randeep Surjewala
Surjewala is reading the contents of the diary which reportedly holds details of a transaction between BS Yeddyurappa and BJP leaders.