Yeddy meets Jaitley on Bhardwaj ties
Beleaguered Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday met senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley in the wake of governor H.R. Bhardwaj considering a request by a lawyers forum seeking permission to prosecute him in alleged land scams.
A delegation of BJP central leaders and its MPs from Karnataka, led by Mr Yeddyurappa, is expected to meet President Pratibha Patil on January 24 to demand recall of Mr Bhardwaj.
Though Mr Yeddyurappa said he discussed “party affairs and possible Cabinet expansion,” sources said he discussed how to deal with the governor. The BJP believes that Mr Bhardwaj is out to destabilise its first government in south India.
Mr Jaitley has been authorised by the party to oversee Karnataka affairs. The BJP-ruled government in the state is facing corruption charges and is under attack by the Opposition who have been demanding Mr Yeddyurappa’s resignation.
When asked about the corruption charges against Mr Yeddyurappa, BJP chief spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said the land allotted to his sons had been returned and an FIR lodged against a minister facing corruption charges had to resign.
“The question of change in land use is a larger one. S.M. Krishna as chief minister of Karnataka had changed land use of 300 acres of land,” he alleged.
The BJP also took on Mr Bhardwaj for his reported statement that he may order an inquiry against Mr Yeddyurappa on January 20 if the chief minister failed to clear his name.
“It is not a surprise if he has said so... He can go to any extent as governor of a state,” Mr Prasad said.
Mr Prasad described the Karnataka governor as a “political governor” but expressed confidence that Indian democracy is strong enough to deal with such situations.
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