Bengaluru: The state government has decided to hand over the alleged bribe case involving the social welfare minister’s wife, to the CID. The decision to hand over the case to the CID comes in the wake of the upcoming legislature session to avoid embarrassment from the opposition parties, it is said.
Speaking to sources, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that chief minister Siddaramaiah has ordered for a CID probe and action will be taken if charges are proved.
A sting operation by a TV channel surfaced last week showing State social welfare minister H. Anjaneya’s wife purportedly accepting a bribe of Rs 7 lakh.
The visuals telecast by a channel showed a man keeping currency notes on a table before minister’s wife at his residence. The television channel claimed that the money received by the minister’s wife was a bribe for passing a tender worth Rs. 7 crore in a particular district and that it had used fake currency notes as part of its sting operation.
However, the minister, unfazed by the controversy, defended his wife and had said, “There is no need for me to take bribe, and my wife is not that kind. She is innocent. There is a conspiracy behind this. I have not come into politics to make easy money, but serve the people”.
“I belong to the oppressed community and it is common for us to face such situations. I have been rendering social service, which you (media and people) have been seeing,” the minister added.
After the alleged scam came into light opposition parties demanded the minister’s resignation.
Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Department, Prabhakar, who was allegedly seen negotiating a deal on behalf of the minister, has already been suspended.
