Siddaramaiah suspects BJP, its 'brother' responsible for 'fake letter' against Agriculture Minister

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has questioned whether the BJP or its 'brother' was behind a 'fake letter' accusing Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy of demanding bribes from officials after the Governor asked the government to probe the complaint.

The 'brother' remark was an apparent dig at JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. The opposition BJP and the JD(S) have been warming up to each other after the recent Assembly elections.

In the letter purportedly criticising Cheluvarayaswamy, seven assistant agriculture directors posted in Mandya district have accused the minister of demanding Rs 6 to 8 lakh from officers of the department.

The complainants, in the letter, threatened to end their lives along with their family members if such corrupt practices are not stopped.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday tweeted: 'It has come out that the letter in circulation in the public domain is fake. The joint agriculture director has already clarified that no officers in the district have written such a letter,' he added.

'The leaders of BJP, are you the creator of such a fake letter spreading slander against the government or your brother?' he tweeted.

The Chief Minister said the matter would be reviewed by the government and assured that an investigation would be conducted, if necessary.

After receiving the letter, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot referred it to Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma on August 1 to look into the issue and take required action as per the rules.

Minister Cheluvarayaswamy too said the letter to the Governor against him appears to be fake and said that he would try to ascertain its authenticity.

Cheluvarayaswamy said he spoke to Agriculture Joint Director of Mandya district V S Ashoka, who said it was a fake letter.

Meanwhile, Ashoka convened a meeting on Monday with the assistant directors of all taluks in Mandya and enquired with them whether they wrote any letter to the Governor. 'They all said in unison that they have not written any letter to the Governor,' he told PTI.

Minister Cheluvarayaswamy said: "It appears to be a fake letter. Some people are trying to dig out something about me. I will ask the secretary of our department to investigate it."