SHIMOGA: The resignation of two JD(S) MLCs- N Thippanna and Gurudev- from the Upper House was an internal issue of that party and the BJP had nothing to do with it, said Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.
Both of them resigned in a sudden development, but Gurudev has close ties with the BJP and even now he is with the BJP, Yeddyurappa told reporters after laying the foundation stone for the Textile Park and Readymade Garments unit at Nidhige on Thursday.
When asked about JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy’s statement that the BJP had stooped to the level of executing ‘Operation Lotus’ in the Upper House, Yeddyurappa said: “How do we benefit if JD(S) leaders resign.
We do not have a majority to claim the chairman's post in the council and it is a baseless allegation”.
On charges that the BJP had eyed the elections to the Upper House, he said the JD(S) and Congress had come together in the previous MLC election, and only they could reply to the allegations.
‘Let Gowda organise farmers in country’
On the NICE issue, Yeddyurappa said that the project was started during the tenure of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and later the Congress government had continued it.
But now Gowda was accusing the BJP government. The BJP government had been acting as per the Supreme Court directive and had no role in this issue, he added.
"I would like to give a suggestion to Deve Gowda not to restrict himself to Karnataka. Let him widen his role to the country- level," the CM said.