The Hindu : National : Blackmail, says Sinha

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Tuesday, Nov 20, 2007
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National

Blackmail, says Sinha

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Bharatiya Janata Party National vice-president Yashwant Sinha said on Monday that the party leader, B. S. Yeddyurappa, would have become a namesake chief minister and the Janata Dal (Secular) leader, H. D. Kumaraswamy, a super chief minister had the party accepted the 12-point conditions imposed by JD (S) national president H. D. Deve Gowda.

“Those conditions would have ensured that the BJP continues to remain a junior partner in the ruling coalition. Therefore, we decided to sacrifice our short-lived government rather than submit to the blackmail of the JD (S),” Mr. Sinha told a press conference.

Holding the JD (S) responsible for the State plunging into a political crisis again, he said, “this is a black day in the democratic history of India.” Pointing out that the JD (S) had submitted written and sworn affidavits of individual MLAs and leaders on extending unconditional support to the BJP, he said “we are guilty, in that we trusted their affidavits.”

Mr. Gowda had set a new precedent in the Indian politics by demanding an MoU on stamp paper. This would raise a major question of trust for the political parties in future regarding coalitions.

Answering a query, Mr. Sinha did not rule out the Congress hand in destabilising the Yeddyurappa government.

He noted that the only alternative before Governor Rameshwar Thakur now was to recommend the dissolution of the Assembly and hold fresh elections at the earliest.

Mr. Yeddyurappa termed the episode the worst form of betrayal and said the BJP would go before the people and tell them about the episode. “We would appeal to the people to give us absolute majority so that we can not only fulfil our promises, but also teach the JD (S) a lesson.”

In campaign mode

It is back to campaign mode for the BJP with the party deciding to re-launch its “dharma yuddha” campaign against the JD (S). “We will straight away go into election mode,” a senior party functionary told The Hindu. The party is having a meeting of its legislators in Bangalore on Tuesday morning to decide the next course of action.

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