K’taka CM in land scam trouble
A clearly rattled BJP, particularly party president Nitin Gadkari, has dispatched a team of RSS officials to Karnataka to assess the damage caused by land scams to the image of the BJP’s first government in South India, even as a beleaguered chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa tried to limit the fallout of the recent leaks by announcing he would appoint a retired judge of the Supreme Court to investigate the charges that have originated from within his own party as well as the increasingly bellicose Janata Dal (S).
BJP sources said the chief minister was tense and restless during his tour of coastal districts as JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy stepped up the attack after his bid to remove the chief minister by weaning 17
legislators to cross over to his party failed last month. HDK has used his enormous clout within the state government to expose the chief minister’s largesse to
his family, officials said.
HDK claims that the land scam, which benefits not just BSY’s family but also senior members of the government, including state IT-BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, home minister R Ashok and state party chief K.S.
Eashwarappa, runs into `4,000 crores. “The JD(S) wants Congress leaders in New Delhi to act against Mr Yeddyurappa now because they were cold to the prospect of dismissing the government when BJP legislators rebelled against him. The JD(S) is sourcing documents through a network of officers in Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) and passing them on to the media to embarrass the chief minister and his colleagues,” the sources said.
The chief minister has, meanwhile, reportedly sent a letter to Mr Gadkari complaining about his arch-rival and chief ministerial aspirant Ananth Kumar as being the “real force” behind the current move to replace him with his own nominee and fellow Lingayat, former Speaker Jagadish Shettar.
Top sources within the BJP state unit claim that the falling out between Mr Yeddyurappa and his confidant, Mr Naidu, after the minister was accused of grabbing
government land, might also a contributing factor for the public shaming of the chief minister. Inside sources told this newspaper that Mr Naidu reportedly threatened Mr Yeddyurappa that he would take him down if he was pressured to quit following serious charges against him and the arrest of his son Katta Jagadish for attempting to bribe a witness in a land grab case. Mr Naidu has denied the charge.
Party sources indicated that Mr Yeddyurappa would seek the help of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to mediate on his behalf when the latter arrives in Bengaluru on Thursday.
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