Karnataka polls: Cong alleges Sriramulu bribed ex-CJI, Rahul Gandhi slams PM Modi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi (Photo: Twitter/@INCIndia)


Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over allegation that BJP leader B Sriramulu had bribed former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan seeking an order favouring a mining company owned by G Janardhan Reddy.

The Congress party, which levelled the charge, also demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged bribery case.

While attaching a National Herald news report, Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, “This is how Modi and Yeddy (BS Yeddyurappa) are getting ‘Reddy’ to loot Karnataka. Fortunately, the people of Karnataka will not let that happen”.


The news report alleges that then Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishna gave a favourable order to a mining company owned by G Janardhan Reddy a day before the CJI retired in 2010, Karnataka Congress claimed on Thursday that Rs 100 crore was paid by Reddy for the order.”

Sriramulu is contesting against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Badami constituency in the 12 May Assembly election.

Earlier, Karnataka Congress tweeted quoting state’s working President Dinesh Gundu Rao: “Just one day before CJI Balakrishnan retired, he passed an order in a case related to Reddy brothers mining company”.

“Now several videos have been released which show how bribe deals were done btw CJI’s son-in-law and Sriramulu/Reddy brothers,” Karnataka Congress tweeted Rao’s statement at a press conference.

“The videos that have surfaced today show how Sriramulu and middlemen Captain Reddy, Balan, Swamiji Rajnish and CJI Balakrishnan’s son-in-law Sreenijan discussed bribe deals in order to get a favourable judgment from SC in the Obalipuram case,” he said.

“Despite supporting corrupt and jailed leaders in their own party, the Prime Minister comes to Karnataka and levels baseless allegations against us. This big expose has shown how corrupt Reddy-Sriramulu gang bribed the CJI. Will BJP and PM Modi answer?” Rao added.

On Thursday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi apologised to media for not taking questions during a press meet due to “paucity of time” and slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not holding any press conference in past four years.

However, as per media reports, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised Rahul Gandhi for not taking questions during the press meet.

Read more | Rahul Gandhi apologises to media for ‘paucity of time’, slams PM Modi

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, while stating that Gandhi scion’s campaign in Karnataka had been a total failure, said Rahul Gandhi during his press conference could not even take questions in connection with allegations of corruption against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.

(With agency inputs)