The tussle between Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Pralhad Joshi and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy took a new turn Tuesday with the regional party levelling graft allegations against the former. The Union minister has dismissed the allegations as “wild and misleading.”
In a news conference attended by Kumaraswamy, JD(S) MLC SL Bhojegowda accused Pralhad Joshi’s office of receiving bribes from two doctors — one from Kerala and another from Karnataka — to secure them positions at All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the National Medical Council.
Central government posts were sold for a price, he alleged, demanding a high-level probe. Bhojegowda claimed that money was deposited into the account of a staff member in Joshi’s office. “A total of Rs 2.5 cr was deposited. Joshi should reveal from whom the money was taken and the purpose for which money was deposited. The money has gone directly to his office,” he alleged.
The MLC claimed that they had more documents to prove the irregularities. “The documents we released today are just a sample. More documents will be released in the coming days,” he claimed.
Reacting to the allegations, Pralhad Joshi tweeted: “Wild allegations & heights of misleading the Public! First of all, this letter is marked to a Doctor and I am certainly not a Doctor. There is no such employee in my office. If you are so confident, why have you blurred the name & content of this letter?”
Wild allegations & heights of misleading the Public!
First of all, this letter is marked to a Doctor and I am certainly not a Doctor.
There is no such employee in my office.
If you are so confident, why have you blurred the name & content of this letter? pic.twitter.com/NekgeRVbGJ
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) February 7, 2023
Joshi and Kumaraswamy have been at odds after the Union Minister ridiculed the latter’s ‘Pancharatna Yatra’ and took a dig at former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s family for pursuing dynastic politics.
Kumaraswamy had lashed out at Joshi, accusing him of hailing from a section of Brahmin community that was “cultureless” and allegedly behind the attack on Sringeri Mutt in Karnataka. This had prompted an angry response from BJP leaders in the state, who attacked the JD(S) leader for targetting a community that had contributed immensely for the welfare of the nation.
