No sooner had the incident gone viral on social media Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was trolled. Besides criticising journalists, the social media took the journalists to task and asked them to return the cash. Two editors returned the gifts and dashed off a letter to the CMO condemning the incident. Bommai, however, said that he had no knowledge about what had happened and sought an apology from journalists.
Bengaluru (Karnataka): A case connected with alleged “cash” gifts to journalists in Karnataka by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has kicked up a political storm across the state, sources said on Saturday. The incident has dented the image of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The close confidantes of Bommai reported distributed boxes of sweets containing rupees one lakh or more among senior scribes in the state. No sooner had the incident gone viral on social media Bommai was trolled. Besides criticising journalists, the netizens took the journalists to task and asked them to return the cash.
Meanwhile, the Congress demanded a judicial probe into the reports. Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala twitted: “The#40PercentSarkar seeks to bribe the journalist with Rs one lakh cash! Will Mr Bommai answer -1. Isn’t it “bribe” being offered by CM? What is the source of Rs 1,00,000? Has it come from Public Exchequer or from CM himself? 3. Will ED/IT take note?”
Karnataka state Congress Committee called it “Sweet Box Bribe” to journalists by the CMO and demanded a judicial probe into it. The party said that the people should know the amount of money that the CMO had given as a bribe to the scribes and that the amount of dough the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had got.
The issue, nevertheless, came to light, as some scribes who were deprived of the cash brought the matter to public. A few scribes returned the gifts, sources further said, adding that two editors dashed off a letter to the CMO condemning the action. Reacting to the incident, Bommai said he had not had an iota of knowledge about what had happened and tendered an apology to the editors.
In the meanwhile, an organisation called Janadhikara Sangharsha Parishat (Janadhikar Sangharsha Parishad) has lodged a complaint at the office of Lokayukta about the incident, seeking an action against the CMO for attempting to bribe journalists.
