Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Sunday ruled out the removal of Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy from his Ministry.
Mr. Yeddyurappa's assertion came after a meeting with senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj in the morning. The Reddy brothers too held talks with Ms. Swaraj and had a breakfast meeting with the Chief Minister.
The meeting assumed significance in the wake of Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and Opposition parties seeking the removal of the Ministers.
Talking to journalists, Mr. Yeddyurappa virtually gave a clean chit to the Reddy brothers. He said: “The Reddy brothers are not responsible for illegal mining. Let the Lok Ayukta probe the entire issue. We are ready for a thorough probe of illegal mining in the State from 2003. There is no charge against them. There is no evidence against them. Let them [Opposition] approach the High Court.”
Asked what action he proposed to take against them, he said: “The question of taking action against the Reddy brothers does not arise. There is no proof … In no way, they are responsible for illegal mining.”
Mr. Yeddyurappa, who also met senior BJP leader L.K. Advani and party president Nitin Gadkari, declined to divulge what transpired during the discussions.
Asked whether the party's central leaders asked the Reddy brothers to clear their name following charges of illegal mining, he said the brothers were capable of tackling things themselves.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said he would write to Karnataka Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde to investigate all cases of illegal mining from 2002-03 till date. However, he said he could not fix a time frame for the Lok Ayukta to complete its investigations. “The Reddy brothers are going to clarify their stand and how the Congress and the JD(S) are targeting them unnecessarily without documents on any charges.”
‘Nothing in charges'
Asked about their meeting with Ms. Swaraj, Mr. Janardhan Reddy said: “We explained in detail to Ms. Swaraj and she has come to know about every detail and what the Congress strategy is. There is nothing in the allegations levelled by the Congress, which has lost its image. For nothing they are fighting. Whatever the Congress strategy is, it will fail.”
Asked about the support received from the Chief Minister, he said: “We are all fighting together against the Congress. We are all honest BJP workers.”
