A video clip purportedly of Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, in which he is heard as saying that BJP national president Amit Shah oversaw the resignations of 17 MLAs in Karnataka, surfaced on Friday, creating a flutter in political circles. This came on the eve of the Chief Minister completing 100 days in office.
The video, reportedly shot by a participant during the meeting to hear opinions of party leaders prior to the core committee meeting held in Hubballi recently, captures the audio but does not show the Chief Minister clearly.
In the clip, the CM is heard chastising the leaders for their uncharitable comments on disqualified MLAs. “You all know that the decision on 17 MLAs is not because of Yediyurpapa or any other leader from the State. The national president knew that and he himself monitored their stay for two-and-a-half months in Mumbai,” he is heard as saying. He goes on to say that at a time when they [BJP leaders, workers] were expected to stand strongly behind the 17 MLAs because of whose sacrifice the BJP had come to power, they had made uncharitable comments. “I did not expect this from you. I am sorry,” he is heard as saying.
“Let these words please remain within the four walls ... Maybe I committed a crime by convincing them [disqualified MLAs] to resign ... Let these issues be brought to the central leadership and let them a take a decision,” he allegedly says in the video.
Expressing his displeasure over none speaking about the “sacrifice of the disqualified MLAs” who resigned from their parties to bring the BJP to power, Mr. Yediyurappa further says, “We didn’t discuss the issue all these days as it is before the Supreme Court and the decision is likely to come in a couple of days. Our expectation is that 99% the Supreme Court will rule in favour of their contest.”
Opposition Congress has said that this video is yet another “confession” of engineered defection of MLAs and the complicity of Mr. Shah in the process. In a tweet, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday said, “What more damning proof is required that @BJP4India masterminded this entire operation.”
