BENGALURU: In a major embarrassment to the Congress government, a sting operation video by a news channel surfaced on Thursday, showing social welfare minister H Anjaneya’s wife purportedly accepting a bribe of Rs 7 lakh to clear a tender . The tender pertains to supplying meals for hostel students in Moraji Desai Residential Schools run by the social welfare department

“The issue came to my notice when I was in the cabinet meeting. I have sought details of the video and allegations made against the minister and his wife. I will look into it before reacting," chief minister Siddaramaiah said after a TV news channel repeatedly played the video tape. The video later went viral on social media.

This is the second time Anjaneya is facing such an allegation. Earlier, he was named in a scam pertaining to the purchase of beds and pillows of student hostels in June. His department allegedly submitted inflated bills leading to a loss of over Rs 14 crore to the state exchequer. Under pressure from the opposition, chief minister Siddaramaiah handed over the probe to the CID.

In the sting video, two members of an investigation team of the news channel, are seen negotiating the bribe deal with Prabhakar, deputy director of the social welfare department (hostels) at his office, posing as ‘contractors from Mangaluru’.

After a brief conversation, the officer demands 1.5% share of the total contract of Rs 7 crore. In return, the ‘contractor’ offers the minister a lumpsum of Rs 7 lakh, which Prabhakar hesitantly accepts, and ask them to hand it over to the minister’s wife.

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The second video clip shows the minister’s wife Vijayalakshmi in a room, and a person going in and placing a bundle of cash on the table in front of her. Though her voice is not heard, the news channel explains that Vijayalakshmi asked their team members to keep the money on the table. The authenticity of the video clippings released by the news channel could not be verified.

Stung by the expose, Anjaneya, a dalit, told reporters: “I don't know where this has come from. I come from a background of an untouchable and I have not come here to make money. I’m being targeted by my rivals.’’ Speaking to the news channel which conducted the sting operation, he later added: “I’ve asked the officials to conduct a probe against the officer (Prabhakar), to see whether he has any role in the sting to fix him and his wife. We are not a family which stoops to such a level.”

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The opposition BJP demanded Anjaneya's resignation and a detailed probe into the scam. Opposition leader in the assembly Jagadish Shettar claimed it was yet another instance of corruption in the government, while Siddaramaiah prides himself on a clean image and governance agenda.

The first political casualty of the Congress government was former information and infrastructure development minister Santosh Lad, who resigned in September 2013 after an iron ore mining company in which he was a partner, was charged with illegal mining. Raj Bhavan sources said governor Vajubhai R Vala has sought a report from the government on the bribery scam.