india

Updated: Nov 04, 2019 02:06 IST

Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa accused the Congress on Sunday of distorting his statement on rebel MLAs in a viral video, even as the opposition party announced state-wide protests over his ‘confession’ on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) involvement in engineering defections.

The Congress also said they would present the matter before the Supreme Court on Monday. On October 25, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the disqualification of 17 Karnataka MLAs before the trust vote moved by the previous HD Kumaraswamy government.

Yediyurappa said those who resigned (disqualified MLAs) had done so for their own reasons and the party did not have anything to do with it. “What has to be done next our party will decide, our national president will decide- this is what I said, nothing else,” Yediyurappa said, defending his statement made during an event in Hubli.

Talking to the media, the CM denied having said that he would give tickets to those who resigned and said matters were being distorted “to create confusion in the Supreme Court”. “....there is no meaning to it... demanding Amit Shah’s resignation is foolishness. This is false propaganda...people will teach a lesson (to the Congress) in the by-election.”

In the viral video, Yediyurappa is purportedly seen addressing BJP workers in Hubli, where he expresses his displeasure over the opposition from his party leaders to the tickets given to rebel legislators for the December 5 by-elections.

“Somehow today the way you spoke, did not seem to be intended at saving this government. You are aware that the decision on 17 (legislators) was not taken by Yediyurappa or any other state leader. It was known to the national president and under his watch for about two or two-and-a-half (months) they were kept in Mumbai and things happened. All of you are aware of it, right?” he is purportedly heard saying.

Rejecting Yediyurappa’s allegations, state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao argued that it was BJP’s internal meeting and the tape would have been released by someone present.

Rao also noted that Yediyurappa agreed that it was his voice. “It is clear that this was an anti-constitutional move to pull down the (coalition) government, violating the anti-defection law. They are party to it, it is very clear. So we will mention it in the Supreme Court tomorrow (Monday)...” JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda, too, hit out at Yediyurappa, citing the example of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister M Harish Rawat, who was booked by the CBI in a horse-trading case. “The Chief Minister himself has said it. It would have come to the notice of the Prime Minister and the President. We will have to see what decisions are taken,” Gowda said.