Some people have entered the State Cabinet by paying bribes and blackmailing the Chief Minister, senior BJP member Basanagouda Patil Yatnal alleged in Vijayapura on Wednesday.
Mr. Yatnal, five-time MLA from Vijayapura, said factors that played a role in Cabinet expansions in the past were caste quota and district quota. “Mr. Yediyurappa has added two more factors - “CD quota and money quota”, he alleged.
The CD he was referring to contained potentially scandalous material involving the Chief Minister’s blood relative, he claimed. “Three leaders, including a MP and a State BJP vice-president, had conspired against Mr. Yediyurappa. They blackmailed him into inducting three persons. Others have paid bribes.”
Mr. Yatnal claimed some leaders had brought the CD to him and told him of their blackmail plans. “They told me that I should join them in bringing down the Chief Minister and said that I could be the Chief Minister or support one of them in becoming the Chief Minister. This meeting was held in a guest house near Nelamangala. I was surprised that some BJP leaders could think like that. But I did not agree to that. These people have succeeded in joining the Cabinet.”
He also alleged that some Lingayat leaders had tried to blackmail the party high command saying dislodging Mr. Yediyurappa would alienate the community from the party.
Mr. Yatnal said that he would appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clean up Karnataka politics by ending nepotism and dynasty politics. “Prime Minister should put an end to family politics. It should start from Mr. Yediyurappa.”
Mr. Yatnal alleged that the Chief Minister had bought the silence of the Opposition. “The Congress is dead and the Opposition is inactive. Leaders like D.K. Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Zameer Ahmed are silent. Why is that? That is because of Mr. Yediyurappa’s adjustment politics. He has purchased the Opposition.”.
He complained that Mr. Yediyurappa had used undue influence on some Lingayat religious leaders by releasing grants to their mutts. A few months ago, he released ₹85 crore to Veerashaiva Lingayat mutts. That was done to ask them to put pressure on the BJP not to change him, Mr. Yatnal claimed.
Mr. Yatnal said he had raised some of these issues at the meeting of BJP MLAs in Bengaluru recently.
