Minister for Tourism Anand Singh has said that he will not quit the Bharatiya Janata Party in the event the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa walks out of the BJP and floats a new political party.
An iron-ore baron who in the recent years fell out of company of the Reddy brothers, Mr. Anand Singh said, “I am happy with the BJP which has also made me a Minister. Why should I quit. There is no such plan.”
He told presspersons in Bangalore on Friday that the regional party floated by B. Sriramulu had also not affected the popularity of the BJP in Bellary district.
The statements of Mr. Sriramulu that the BJP has been wiped out from the district is “far from the truth”.
He said, “I will neither join the BSR party nor any other political party, including that which is being proposed by Mr. Yeddyurappa. I remain committed to the BJP.”
He said that the Bellary district police have arrested four persons in connection with the destruction of the Gali Gopura Mantap located at the Hampi Heritage Site.
He said that two of the four culprits were from the nearby Anegundi village and the other two were from Gangavathi.
The State Tourism Department, which has since taken several steps to protect the Hampi ruins, has stepped up security to prevent recurrence of such incidents, he added.
Mr. Anand Singh said that the Hampi Utsav, a three-day State festival of music and dance at Hampi, will be held in the first week of December this year.
Work on the much-delayed installation of the Light and Sound system at the Hampi ruins is going on in full swing and it will be commissioned in time for the festival, he said.
