BENGALURU, 23 MARCH

Dismissing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim that the BJP was offering Rs 50 crore each to ruling Congress MLAs to switch sides ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka on Saturday said his party has made no such approaches to the rival camp.

“Congress is staring at defeat in Lok Sabha elections, which is why he (Siddaramaiah) is trying to deflect public attention by making such unfounded claims. He has dreamed up this ‘Operation Kamala’ to hoodwink the people. We don’t have any intention to destabilise this government. In fact, they are driving their own government to the point of ruin,” Ashoka said.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s State Chief BY Vijayendra on Saturday inaugurated a media centre of the party as a part of the Lok Sabha election preparation.

“‘Once again Modi’ are not only the words of BJP workers, people of India want Modi as PM. His popularity is rising by the day. People across the length and breadth of the country believe in Modi. His vision is the development of India. Karnataka is South India’s gateway to the BJP,” Vijayendra said.

The BJP Chief said Congress does not have candidates in the State for the Lok Sabha election, as JD(S) is also with his party.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP decimated the Congress and JDS even though they fought together. BJP had won a record 25 seats while the Congress and JD-S had won just one seat each.

On Friday, BJP leader and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the party aims to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again. Addressing party members in Hubballi on Friday, Bommai said, “We are on the battlefield and we must see only the target and not who is on the left or right side. We aim to make Modi PM again and to achieve that, we must vote for Pralhad Joshi, who is the BJP candidate from Dharwad constituency.”

Bommai was campaigning for Joshi, who is contesting from the Dharwad constituency for BJP in Hubballi.