It's Cong tradition, says K'taka CM Bommai after Siddaramaiah states in viral video 'people need to be paid Rs 500 to attend rallies'

After a purported video of senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah allegedly asking party leaders to pay Rs 500 each to get people to attend rallies has gone viral on the social media, Karnataka Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday that it has been the Congress' tradition.

"Since the beginning, the Congress Party has been arranging the crowd by paying Rs 500 per person and now the truth has come out. There is no element of surprise in it as it has been their tradition," Bommai said while talking to the reporters here.

"This has been their situation since the beginning and it became public. The people are aware of the same," he added.

In the purported video, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah is seen chatting with KPCC Working President Satish Jarkiholi, MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar, MLC Channaraj Hattiholi, Congress Belagavi Rural District President Vinay Navalgatti, former MLA N H Konreddy and others making a statement at Pant Balekundri in Belagavi on Wednesday.

In response to Hebbalkar, Siddaramaiah is heard in the video, saying that people have to be paid Rs 500 to attend political rallies.

( With inputs from ANI )