Congress, BJP leaders behind sleaze CD scandal: Basanagouda Patil Yatnal

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal gave a new twist to the ongoing 'sleaze CD' row, stating that a leader each from the BJP and the Congress had joined hands to indulge in such practice.

Interacting with reporters at the Vidhana Soudha here on Wednesday, Yatnal said that there is a gang working under the two leaders who are in possession of 23 such CDs belonging to different parties.

"This is a fit case to be probed by the Central investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). Nobody should indulge in such blackmail tactics," he said.

Alleging that these two leaders are financing such seedy CD deals, Yatnal said, "I am neither a party to such kind of CDs, nor have I seen any of them. I am saying all this based on the information I gathered through the interactions I had with the legislators of all the parties," he said.

Yatnala's statement on sleaze CD assumes significance, as he is the first BJP leader who has spoken openly on the matter. In fact, he had revealed that a CD involving Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa was the reason behind two ministers gaining entry into the cabinet on January 14.

Former Karnataka Water Resource Minister Ramesh Jarakiholi was forced to resign last week after a CD was released to the news channels, allegedly showing him in a compromising position with a woman.