With the CBI special court giving a clean chit to him in the case of allegedly showing illegal favours to a mining company, Bharatiya Janata Party State president B.S. Yeddyurappa insists that there is no more legal obstacle for him to become Chief Minister again.
“Let there be no doubts in anybody’s mind that there are legal obstacles for me to become Chief Minister,” Mr. Yeddyurappa asserted, in a telephonic interview with The Hindu .
Excerpts from the interview.
What does the verdict mean for you?
It is a great relief for me, my family and party workers as this was the case for which I had to not only step down as Chief Minister but also remain in judicial custody. The verdict has vindicated my stand that these charges had been falsely framed against me with a mala fide intention.
What about the other cases against you that are pending before the State agencies?
They are mostly related to denotification of land undertaken when I was the Chief Minister.
I had taken the decision on denotification with a good intention by using the powers vested with me as the Chief Minister. Hence I am confident of coming out of these cases.
Does it mean that there are no legal obstacles for you to become Chief Minister again if your party comes to power?
Our party national president Amit Shah has appointed me as the State president and declared me as the chief ministerial candidate.
We (leaders) are all united and people are blessing us. There is no legal problem for me to become Chief Minister.
What is your next course of action?
I am presently focussing on understanding and responding to the people of Karnataka who are reeling under serious drought, by touring the entire State at a time when the State government has failed to help them. We want to identify at least 150 Assembly constituencies where we can commence organisational strengthening work early.
Is there any possibility of you being considered for the Union Minister’s post in the wake of the legal relief?
I have made it very clear to our party national leadership that I want to remain in the State and work for the people of the State.