Bengaluru, (DHNS): Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa seems to have lost mental balance as “he is making wild allegations against Congress leaders.” He needs to be treated for his problem, he said.

Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Rao said Yeddyurappa on Monday threatened to send Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to prison within a year of him coming to power.

This has come from a person who is the epitome of corruption, Rao said.

“Is Yeddyurappa a judge? Or is he a dictator like those in Uganda? Why should he wait to become chief minister and use Central offices to send Siddaramaiah to jail? If he has evidence against the chief minister and ministers, let him file cases right now. Let the CBI hold an enquiry. But we do not want to send anyone to jail. That should be left to the enquiry officers. Anyway, Yeddyurappa has the experience of being in jail,” Rao said.

Further hitting out at the BJP, the Congress leader said the Income Tax department refuses to part with information sought by the chief minister. But details of I-T raids are given to the BJP.

The Congress would stage a protest against the BJP on Thursday at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The party would give a fitting reply to the BJP on that day, he added.

BJP hits back

Later in the day, BJP state general?secretary and former minister Aravind Limbavali took exception to comments by Dinesh Gundu Rao against Yeddyurappa.

“Yeddyurappa is a senior and respected leader. Calling him mentally challenged reflects the state of mental health of the person who made the comment,” Limbavali said, referring to Rao.

He dared the Congress leaders for an open debate on BJP’s charge that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had paid Rs 1,000 crore bribe to the party high command to retain his seat.

“MLC K Govindaraj has not denied that he was the conduit to pass on the ill-gotten money from Siddaramaiah to the Congress high command,” Limbavali added.