BJP in damage control mode
After the arrest of G. Janardhan Reddy, one of the two Bellary brothers and former Karnataka minister in the erstwhile B.S. Yeddyurappa government, for his allegedly deep involvement in illegal mining activity, BJP president Nitin Gadkari is understood to have held parleys with the party’s Karnataka
leadership on Tuesday to assess the fallout of the event on the party.
Officially the BJP maintains that it has nothing to do with the business interests of the Bellary brothers, but some of its senior leaders, including Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar and M. Venkaiah Naidu, are thought by many in the party to have “good rapport” with the cabal.
The arrest came under the directions of the Andhra Pradesh high court. The Reddy brothers’ irregular mining activity is said to straddle Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
After senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh urged that the CBI also probe any business links that Ms Swaraj, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and prominent in the BJP hierarchy, and Mr Naidu may have with Mr Reddy, Ms Swaraj said she welcomed the idea as she felt the probe will clear her name. Mr Naidu attacked Mr Singh for his remarks.
“Whatever is happening concerns the Reddy brothers’ professional work. We will take note of it only when the charges are proved in the court. It has nothing to do with the BJP,” said S.S. Ahluwalia, BJP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, when asked to comment on the issue.
Although the BJP has sought to distance itself from the fate of the Bellary brothers and their associates after Mr Reddy’s arrest on Monday, Mr Gadkari met Karnataka chief minister D.V. Sadanand Gowda and his predecessor B.S. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday.
At the meeting held at Mr Gadkari’s residence in Nagpur on Tuesday, central BJP leaders advised the state leadership to face the forthcoming Koppal bypoll under a collective leadership. This is being interpreted as a victory for party state president K.S. Eshwarappa, who had proposed the idea at a time when former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa had insisted that he should be given the task of leading the party in the bypoll. The BJP top brass, however, told state leaders that due importance should be given to Mr Yeddyurappa whose services should be properly utilised during the campaign, sources said quoting Mr Gadkari.
Mr Gadkari reportedly pacified Mr Yeddyurappa by explaining the reasons why the election had to be fought under a collective leadership. He brought up Mr Reddy’s arrest and its possible fallout and advised Mr Gowda and Mr Yeddyurappa to convince former minister B. Sriramulu to withdraw his resignation, sources said.
Post new comment