BELAGAVI: A Congress MLC made a shocking revelation by claiming that he and some other members spent crores of rupees to get elected to the legislative council.
Raghu Achar, whose tenure will end on January 5, alleged that candidates who lose in elections to the assembly enter the upper house by spending huge sums. “I also got elected to the council by spending crores of rupees. I aim to enter the assembly in the next elections,” he said. Achar claimed the council has become a rehabilitation centre for politicians, and the reputation of the house has hit a low due to the entry of moneybags. Apart from BJP member Kota Srinivas Poojary, he said no one has gained entry without spending money.
The two-time MLC said he attended the house during his first term and listened to the debates, but stopped doing so from the second term because the quality of debates diminished as members wasted time by repeating what others had already presented. He claimed even debates held during the just-concluded session lacked quality. “There is no point in coming to Belagavi by spending money to attend the session when the government is not ready to listen to the opposition,” Achar added.
Several members cutting across party lines took objection to this. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai asked Achar why he was making this statement when he was retiring. “I would have appreciated it if you had raised this issue much earlier,” the CM said.
BJP member Ayanur Manjunath said he (Achar) had insulted the house by his comments and sought his apology. “This house has great tradition since many respected personalities have been its members. You are not only insulting us but even them,” he said. Later, Achar said: “I apologise if my words have hurt anyone.”
