Yeddy firm, won’t drop Reddys
The Karnataka chief minister Yeddyurappa has made it clear that there is no chance of the Reddy brothers getting dropped from his Cabinet. With this announcement, the BJP has indicated that it is all set to take on the Opposition over the illegal mining issue.
“Hundred and one per cent. There is no charge against them. There is no evidence against them. Let them (Opposition) approach the high court,” Mr Yeddyurappa told reporters here when asked if he was giving a clean chit to the Reddy brothers G. Janardhan Reddy and G. Karunakar Reddy. “The question of taking action against the Reddy brothers does not arise. There is no proof,” he added. Mr Yeddyurappa said, “in no way, they (Reddy brothers) are responsible for illegal mining.” Making light of the Opposition charges against them, the chief Minister said, “The Reddy brothers are going to clarify their stand and how the Congress and JD(S) are targeting them unnecessarily without documents or any charges.” Mr Yeddyurappa said that he would write to the Karnataka Lokayukta Mr Santosh Hegde to investigate all the cases of illegal mining starting from 2002-2003 till date, but without fixing a time-limit to wrap up the investigations.
Earlier the Reddy brothers had a breakfast meeting with the chief minister, after making an unscheduled visit to the capital. The details of the parleys were not revealed to the media. Later the Reddy brothers —Janardhan Reddy and Karunakaran Reddy — called on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Ms Sushma Swaraj, who is believed to be close to them. Later interacting with the media, they said that they would hold a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday. “We have explained in detail to Swaraj and she has come to know about every detail and what the Congress strategy is,” Mr Janardhan Reddy told reporters after the meeting. “There is nothing in the allegations levelled by the Congress. The Congress has lost its image. For nothing, they are fighting. Whatever the Congress strategy is, it will fail,” he said.
But according to sources, the late evening meeting on Saturday between Mr Yeddyurappa and Ms Sushma Swaraj had resolved to explain to the Reddy brothers that the imbroglio over the illegal mining issue would neither do any good to the party or to themselves. And therefore they will have to give an impression that they would go by whatever the party says. As a quid pro quo, they would be assured of the party’s full support. And it’s being said that the entire proceedings of the day went according to the script. Now, it will be interesting to see what the Reddy brothers would say in their press conference tomorrow in Bengaluru.
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