Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)

Udupi, Mar 26: Udupi district in-charge minister Pramod Madhwaraj has slammed the allegations by BJP's Srinivas Prasad that he had paid Rs 10 crore as 'bribe' to the Congress to get ministerial post.

Srinivas Prasad, who is BJP's candidate for Nanjangud bypoll, on Saturday March 25 had made serious allegations against Pramod Madhwaraj, claiming that the latter had paid Rs 10 crore as bribe to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who is in-charge of Karnataka state, to get a ministerial berth in state cabinet.

Prasad, who recently left Congress to join BJP, made these allegations while campaigning for Nanjangud bypoll. He questioned how a first-time MLA like Madhwaraj could become a minister without paying bribe, when there were many seniors in the party.

Dismissing the allegations, Madhwaraj said, "I am not a man who needs to bribe anyone to get ministerial post. I have never taken a single paisa from others either. The allegations are baseless.

"The entire state knows what I am. Maybe, those who want to make money in politics have entered the field by paying bribes. But I am not here to make money. I am here only to serve people. So why should I bribe anyone? The allegation is totally false," he asserted.

"I worked with Srinivas Prasad for nine months, when he was in the revenue department. He knows me very well. He knows the honesty I put in my work. After I became minister, within one hour I disposed off pending files from my department. If any other minister works faster than me, let him show me," Madhwaraj said.