Who is the least dirty among all? That’s the question facing people in Karnataka before they vote in the Assembly elections next year.
Parties in the state have taken mudslinging to a new depth. It was BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa who kicked off the season of dirty politics with a damning charge that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah paid `1,000 crore to the Congress high command to keep his job. He claimed the information was obtained from a diary seized by the Enforcement Directorate during one of its post-demonetisation raids.
While the possibility of Yeddyurappa being privy to such a piece of information raises questions about the credibility of the raids, the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate followed it up with another sensational accusation—that the CM and his associates received a bribe of `65 crore in the controversial steel flyover project.
Not the one to fall back in the game of political brinkmanship, the Congress released a CD purportedly showing Yeddyurappa admitting to having paid his party. It even filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau in this regard.
Allegations are serious and the truth must come out. For, those in the dock are two main contenders for the CM’s throne. How political parties and leaders raise funds is an open secret. One can only hope the netas realise they are elected to take care of people’s welfare and ensure progress.
It’s a betrayal of voters’ trust if they use the opportunity to enrich themselves and pay their political masters. Since allegations have been traded, there must be a fair investigation sans any political consideration. People have a right to know the truth. The fight will only escalate in the coming days and expect a year-long mudslinging match. And the fear is that in the din of allegations and counter-allegations, voters may not get to hear what plans the parties have for their welfare and the state’s progress if voted to power.