BJP treating legislators like commodities: Kumaraswamy

Kolkata, Jan 19 (IANS) Assailing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for trying to poach his party's MLAs by offering "huge amounts of cash", Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumarasawmy on Saturday said legislators were being treated as commodities.Addressing the rally of anti-BJP opposition leaders at the Brigade Parade ground here, Kumaraswamy accused the saffron party of "making a mockery" of democracy.He said the developments needed to be looked at seriously as the honour and pride of the legislators is at stake."It has become a national issue today. The BJP leaders are offering huge amounts of cash for MLAs of Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) to resign and join them. Legislators are being treated as commodities."For us this is the worst phase where the honour and pride of legislators is at stake. They are making mockery of democracy in Karnataka. This needs a serious look."The Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging openly in horse-trading to bring down the JD-S-Congress coalition government in the southern state.Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah has claimed the BJP's top leaders, including national President Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were behind the attempt to woo the MLAs, in order to come back to power in Karnataka.The BJP, however, has rejected Congress allegations of attempts to destabilise the Kumaraswamy government.
--IANS dm/ssp/mag/vm