AAP wants EC, ED to probe MLC bribe claims

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Aam Aadmi Party has demanded that the Election Commission (EC) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) do a thorough investigation into BJP MP V Srinivas Prasad's admission of giving Rs15 crore to MLC H Vishwanath for the Hunsur constituency by-election.

The AAP state media convener Jagadish V Sadam said: “BJP MP V Srinivas Prasad has revealed the serious matter of giving Rs 15 crore to BJP candidate H Vishwanath for the Hunsur by-election and Vishwanath spending Rs 4-5 crore of that.

H Vishwanath said that V Srinivas Prasad also received money for the election. How did BJP earn Rs 15 crore? Why was it transferred to candidate H Vishwanath? How did Vishwanath spend four to five crores from that? Where is the remaining Rs 10 crore now? Clear answers to these questions are needed to maintain electoral transparency.

Therefore, the EC and the ED must conduct a thorough investigation.” “This is a huge electoral fraud. According to the code of conduct of the EC 2019, a candidate is allowed to spend only Rs 28 lakh. The BJP MP has admitted that BJP candidate H Vishwanath has spent 4 to 5 crore rupees, which is more than 15 times the set maximum limit.

The EC should take strict action against those involved in this case, which can be fatal to the democratic system,” Sadam added. AAP’s political activity wing president Channappa Gowda Nellore said: “It is painful to know that the political system has reached a stage where elections are not only contested by spending crores of rupees but it is also being claimed without any shame.

H Vishwanath and V Srinivas Prasad should be arrested and interrogated soon. Even if these are baseless allegations against non-BJP leaders, the ED must raid them as soon as possible. Dishonest leaders should immediately be arrested and prosecuted. But even after four days of this revelation by the BJP MP himself that Rs 15 crore was given to a BJP candidate, no action has been taken.”