BENGALURU: Armed with a video, said to be of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, where he’s heard telling his state BJP leaders that the central leadership was in the know of developments in the rebel legislators’ camp, the opposition Congress and JDS are determined to box the ruling dispensation into a corner.
While the Congress is staging protest demonstrations across the state on Monday and plans to take the issue to the Supreme Court, former Prime Minister and JDS patriarch H D Deve Gowda has demanded a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged horse-trading “to prop up the BJP government in the state”.
On their part, Yediyurappa and his party state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel have rubbished the opposition allegations. The CM reiterated that the BJP has nothing to do with the rebel MLAs or their decision to resign from the assembly and accused the Congress leaders of making baseless allegations.
Meanwhile, Kateel said he has ordered an internal probe into the video episode. Congress leaders who cannot survive without power are behind these developments and the probe will establish the truth about the video and how it was leaked, he added.
The former PM pointed out that the CBI had registered a case against former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat in connection with an alleged horse-trading case and demanded that the same yardstick be applied to Yediyurappa.
“The law of the land is the same for every citizen. We will wait for the court verdict (on the disqualified MLAs’ petitions) and take a decision on the issue,” Gowda told reporters at Alur in Hassan district on Sunday.
Accusing the BJP of resorting to undemocratic means to form the government, Gowda said everyone knew that the rebel Congress and JDS MLAs resigned as part of BJP central leaders’ strategy to topple the coalition government.
The video clip, in which the CM reportedly spoke about his central party leaders’ role in the resignation of 17 rebel MLAs and their stay in Mumbai has gone viral. The Congress has termed it as admission of the BJP leaders’ involvement in horse-trading and demanded the CM’s and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation.
“Yediyurappa’s remarks in the video about forming the government after ensuring the resignation of the Congress and JDS rebel MLAs proves that the entire operation was carried out under the supervision of the BJP national president. This issue should be taken seriously and the attention of the Apex Court should be drawn,” said State Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao.
He directed all district units to stage protest and also submit memoranda to the district deputy commissioners, addressed to the President, seeking dismissal of the Yediyurappa government and dropping of Shah from the Union cabinet. Rao said the party will also take up the issue to the apex court.