BENGALURU: Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh charged former State JDS president AH Vishwanath of having sold himself to the BJP. He demanded that Vishwanath disclose the amount he had been paid for defecting to BJP.
Participating in the motion of confidence in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Mahesh alleged that the BJP had offered Vishwanath Rs 28 crore through a former journalist, as he was in a debt trap. Mahesh also disclosed that during a meeting with Vishwanath at his farmhouse, the latter had maintained that he was not interested in becoming a minister, and said that he was in debt as he had to borrow a big amount to fight the election.
“I offered to repay his debts in instalments. But when I called him to collect the first instalment, Vishwanath told me that he would meet me in person,” he said. Mahesh said that Vishwanath, who claimed that the government is stable, had taken off to Mumbai.
“But you should get him here and ask him for how much he had sold himself,” he said, thanking CM HD Kumaraswamy for making him a minister with tourism portfolio. He also took a dig at PWD Minister HD Revanna, who came in the way of stopping Kumaraswamy from giving him a better portfolio.
Meanwhile, rebel MLA Vishwanath took exception to Mahesh making serious allegations in his absence. “It is true that I had taken a loan for the election. Kumaraswamy had also told me to borrow for the election, with an assurance that he would help him in the coming days. Did Kumaraswamy clear my debts? I am not a man who can be mortgaged to someone,” he shot back.