# BJP claims 80% of Karnataka ministers paid for berths 2026-08-08T02:47:11+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The BJP has seized on a leaked audio conversation between two Congress functionaries to allege that money was exchanged for ministerial berths in the recent expansion of the Karnataka cabinet. BJP MP Anurag Thakur and Karnataka MLC N Ravikumar said 80% of ministers secured their posts through a 'payment quota'. Ravikumar claimed veterans like H K Patil and R V Deshpande were dropped from the list for not paying, and that S S Mallikarjun replaced Mankal Vaidya who 'did not give money'. He also alleged that Karnataka has become an ATM for Rahul Gandhi and that a recent detection of 2,894 illegal immigrants was a mere eyewash. The Congress has not yet responded to the allegations. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - deccanherald.com Tags: audio clip controversy, BJP allegations, bribery claims, cabinet berths, Congress corruption, Karnataka politics Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-cites-leaked-audio-to-allege-karnataka-cabinet-bribes/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-cites-leaked-audio-to-allege-karnataka-cabinet-bribes/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.