New Delhi: The Congress Friday petitioned the Election Commission demanding that BJP candidate B Sriramulu be disqualified from contesting the Karnataka assembly election over a 2010 ‘sting’ video allegedly showing him trying to a bribe a former chief justice of India’s relative.
Ahead of polling Saturday, the party also sought a ban on airing of content by two television channels allegedly defaming the Congress.
A delegation of senior Congress leaders, including Kapil Sibal, Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Surjewala, met Election Commission officials and presented a memorandum, which also demanded that the chief electoral officer in Karnataka be directed to lift the ban on the airing of the ‘sting’ video by local television channels.
Thursday, the Congress released the video, dating back to 2010, allegedly showing Sriramulu and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy negotiating a bribe to a relative of a former Chief Justice of India to influence a verdict in a mining case.
“We have requested the Election Commission to disqualify B Sriramulu from contesting the election,” Sibal told reporters after meeting EC officials.
The video also appeared on local channels in Karnataka. Later, state electoral authorities directed channels not to air the videos.
The Congress complaint alleged that the sting video purportedly shows “Sriramulu and three others (identified as G Janardhana Reddy, Captain Reddy and Swamiji) seen sitting with son-in-law of a former Chief Justice of India.”
“The discussions between them, as seen in the video and reported by the media, relate to the payment of money to the son-in-law to secure a favourable judgment of the Supreme Court for the Reddy brothers. Upon viewing the video, there can be no doubt as to the agenda of the meeting taking place,” the complaint alleged.
“The video that talks of the bribes. On the basis of that video an FIR should be registered against all those who are participating in the corrupt deal with the judiciary, including Sriramalu, who is a BJP candidate.
“The CEO Karnataka banned the showing of the video and we seek that this ban must be lifted, because this is freedom of expression.This must be part of the public discourse.
“He (Sriramalu) should be disqualified from contesting this election as he is involved in bribery,” Sibal said.
Sriramulu, a confidant of the tainted mining baron and his brothers, is contesting from two constituencies Molakalmuru and Badami in the assembly polls Saturday.
In Badami, he is pitted against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
“We humble and respectfully seek directions from the Commission to take all such actions as may be necessary and required in law and direct immediate barring/disqualification of B Sriramulu from contesting Karnataka Assembly election 2018,” the Congress memorandum stated, citing violation of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Sibal alleged that the BJP was spreading hatred among the voters of Karnataka “by putting up promos saying are you supporting nationalist forces or those which disintegrate India”.
“This kind of hatred cannot be the basis of campaigning as it is subject matter of illegal and corrupt practices under the Representation of People’s Act,” the former minister said.
Sibal said since no petitions can be filed at this stage, the Commission is entitled to exercise its powers. “We have requested the commission to exercise its powers to stop the spread of such promos.”
“If no action is taken, the whole election process will be vitiated. Courts cannot interfere and the only power is with the Election Commission, to whom we have requested for exercising its powers,” he said.
Seeking directions to the state electoral authorities to lift any injunction on the Kannada television channels or other media from showing and playing the tapes, the Congress delegation also urged the poll panel to take actions necessary in law for holding a free and fair election in Karnataka.
“It warrants immediate exercise of the EC’s constitutional powers under Article 324 of the Constitution of India,” the memorandum said.
The Congress has been criticising the BJP and the prime minister for their decision to give tickets to eight persons from the “Reddy camp”, including Reddy brothers G Somashekara Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy.
