BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s acquittal in a corruption case has provided the much-needed momentum to his mission of bringing the BJP back to power in Karnataka.
The outcome in this case was crucial for his political future. It was clearly evident on May 2 this year when he broke down in the court hall while answering 473 questions. Unlike in other denotification cases, in this particular case, he was accused of taking Rs 40 crore kickbacks from a private company.
Wednesday’s judgment helps the Lingayat strongman to ‘more or less’ wash away the taint of having gone to jail. Four cases, all private complaints related to denotification, are pending against the state BJP chief who is nursing the ambition of becoming the chief minister for the third time. He is confident of coming clean in those cases.
“This judgment will help lakhs of party workers in the State to work without any confusion in their minds,” Yeddyurappa told Express. “I will now tour the State with more confidence and strengthen the party,” he said.
BJP state organising secretary Ravi Kumar too says they are morally strong. “People of the state have lot of hopes on Yeddyurappa. They were confident that he would come clean in all these politically motivated cases. He has proved that,” he added.
The clean chit by the court, that too after investigation and full trial, helps Yeddyurappa to assert his authority within and outside the party, at a time when BJP is not seen as a united front.
Things started looking bright for him after he rejoined BJP after his brief experiment with his own party, Karnataka Janata Paksha. Soon he was elected as MP, made president of the state unit of the party. And the major relief came earlier this year when the HC quashed 15 FIRs filed by the Lokayukta police in denotification cases.
Yeddyurappa looked formidable when he took over as the state BJP chief in April this year and the party workers were fully charged up. However, things changed quickly, especially after the appointment of district office-bearers. Many senior leaders accused Yeddyurappa of taking the decision unilaterally.
That led to discontentment and the issue even went to the party’s central leadership. Even before that was resolved, former DyCM K S Eshwarappa came up with his Sangolli Rayanna Brigade. Though Eshwarappa has been maintaining that the Brigade aims to consolidate backward classes votes for the party, it was clearly seen as a challenge to Yeddyurappa’s authority within the party. Yeddyurappa managed to force Eshwarappa to drop his plans, but differences remain.
BJP leaders close to Yeddyurappa say Wednesday’s court verdict will make a big difference. “It is an answer to his detractors within the party and also leaders outside,” said ä Yeddyurappa loyalist.
Political analysts say the big challenge before Yeddyurappa is not fighting the Congress or JD(S), but taking his team along for the 2018 elections and make most of the anti-incumbency sentiment against the Congress government.
Congress and JD(S) are facing their own set of problems. While Srinivasa Prasad, a prominent Dalit leader from Old Mysore region has left Congress, top leaders in the JD(S) are finding it hard to deal with the rebellion.
Now, it’s up to Yeddyurappa to make most of the good tidings and take everyone in the party into confidence and win the battle in the people’s court--the 2018 assembly poll.
Yeddyurappa case files
February 2013
High Court quashes land grab case against Yeddyurappa in which he allegedly encroached on forest land in Bhadra Tiger Reserve
October 2013
Yeddyurappa is absolved of all charges by HC in a case of alleged irregularities in the Upper Bhadra irrigation project. A complaint was filed by JD(S) leader Y S V Datta, alleging that Dhavalagiri Properties and Sahyadri Health Care Ltd — owned by Yeddyurappa’s sons B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar — received kickbacks of B13 crore from Murudeshwara Power Corporation Ltd, a sister concern of RNS Infrastructure Ltd, and Jyothi Limited, after the B1,033 cr Upper Bhadra irrigation project was awarded to their joint venture firm
December 2015
HC quashes proceedings against Yeddyurappa and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, intiated by the Lokayukta Special Court in an illegal land denotification case. Proceedings were initiated against the two in the Benniganahalli denotification case, based on complaints filed by activists T J Abraham and Kabbale Gowda
January 2016
HC quashes all 15 FIRs against Yeddyurappa by the Lokayukta police under Prevention of Corruption Act. As many as 21 cases against him for illegal denotification of land and nepotism are closed. The cases were filed based on illegal denotification documented in the CAG report
October 2016
CBI court acquits Yeddyurappa and his sons in connection with the B40 crore kickback case, which he had allegedly received to favour private companies