K’taka Council poll cross-voting: BJP won’t spare errant MLAs, says Ashoka

New Delhi/Bengaluru, June 23 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Tuesday asserted that the party would take strict action against legislators who allegedly indulged in cross-voting during the recent Karnataka Legislative Council elections, stating that there was “no question of pardoning” those who had betrayed the party.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Ashoka said the BJP leadership would deliberate on the issue before taking a final decision against the errant legislators.

“There is no question of pardoning those who indulged in cross-voting. They contested and won elections on the BJP symbol after seeking tickets from the party. Betraying the party after that cannot be condoned,” he said.

Ashoka alleged that four BJP MLAs had cross-voted in the Council elections. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of identifying the individuals involved because the election was conducted through a secret ballot.

“Since it was a secret ballot, it is not possible to conclusively identify those responsible. We have certain suspicions, but the matter will be discussed within the party,” he said.

The Opposition leader said he, Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, senior leader N. Ravikumar and other party leaders were scheduled to meet senior BJP leader B.L. Santhosh to discuss the issue.

“We had sought an appointment four days ago. We will place all the available information before the party leadership and discuss the way forward,” he said.

Responding to a question on suggestions that BJP legislators should meet at Dharmasthala and take an oath against cross-voting, Ashoka said the proposal had been discussed within the party but was not being pursued.

“Vijayendra had discussed the suggestion with me. After consulting senior leaders, it was decided that this is an internal party matter and does not require a meeting at Dharmasthala. Such incidents are not entirely new to Karnataka politics, but the fact that it has happened within our party is a matter of concern,” he said.

Ashoka reiterated that the BJP would raise the matter before the party high command and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Those involved in cross-voting will be taught a lesson. We will not spare them, no matter where they go. Such acts of betrayal should not be repeated,” he said.

The BJP leader also launched a sharp attack on Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, accusing him of using money and political influence to secure support.

“Shivakumar has risen through money and muscle power. We will discuss within the party how to counter his methods in the future. While he speaks about providing a corruption-free government, his statements imply that the previous government led by Siddaramaiah was corrupt,” Ashoka alleged.

He further accused the Congress government of encouraging corruption and claimed that legislators had been influenced and pressured during the Council elections.

“The Congress speaks about transparency, but corruption has increased under the present dispensation. MLAs were allegedly lured and pressured to secure votes,” he alleged.

Ashoka also claimed that the BJP would continue to raise the issue of cross-voting on party platforms and seek appropriate disciplinary action against those found responsible.

–IANS

mka/rad