Black-money scar on Bangarappa

Shimoga: According to a Congress MLA, "politics is all about money". Even before Lok Sabha poll results are out, former CM and Congress candidate from Shimoga S Bangarappa has been cornered by his own partymen.
B K Sangamesh, Congress MLA from Bhadravathi, has alleged that he had given Rs 50 lakh "black money" to Bangarappa during 1999 elections.
"I gave him (Bangarappa) Rs 50 lakh of unaccounted money to secure a party ticket for myself.I, however, could not cater to his demand for more money. Therefore, he saw to it that I lose the elections in Bhadravathi in 1999," Sangamesh told reporters.
Asked to clarify on the use of black money, Sangamesh said: "Black money alone is ruling politics today and all parties have spent huge unaccounted sums during the Lok Sabha elections to woo voters."
Both Sangamesh and Bangarappa's family are fighting it out to control the strings of politics in the district.
Sangamesh's outburst comes in the wake of Kumar Bangarappa's (former minister and son of Bangarappa) allegation that the Bhadravathi MLA had sided with the BJP to defeat the Congress candidate in the recently concluded polls.
On April 23 during a Congress rally in Bhadravathi, Sangamesh's followers went berserk over Bangarappa's remarks that the local MLA better join BJP as he was supporting the saffron party.
BJP functionary Aynur Manjunath told reporters that Sangamesh remarks were not in good taste. "He is not a gentleman politician and he cannot gain respect for his manners, utterances and deeds. BJP will never invite him to the party fold," he said.
Reacting to the charges, Kumar Bangarappa dismissed the allegations stating his father would not stoop down to such a cheap level, as to take money to get some one a ticket. "He is willing to join BJP and for that he is doing the ground work," Kumar added.