Bangalore:
Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday rubbished Janata Dal Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy's allegation that he received Rs 20 crore from former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa during the last eight by-polls in the state, saying that he would hang himself if the charges were proved.
"I will hang myself if the charges levelled by Kumaraswamy are proved against me," Mr Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, told reporters in Bijapur.
Mr Kumaraswamy had alleged on Thursday that Mr Yeddyurappa had paid Rs 20 crore to Mr Siddaramaiah to ensure that the Congress performed poorly in the bye-elections to eight constituencies to benefit the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Kumaraswamy indulges in theatrics and levels baseless allegations to gain political mileage. I was never involved in any of the scandals nor helped Yeddyurappa and BJP to weaken Congress during by-elections to eight constituencies," he said.
Both Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Siddaramaiah have been trading charges since the past 12 months.
On drought situation in the state, he alleged that the BJP government had failed in managing the situation. He suggested constituting an all-party committee to monitor the situation and works to alleviate it.
Mr Siddaramaiah alleged that government had not utilized funds provided by the Centre to tackle drought.