Keep politics out of temple

Reacting to Kumaraswamy's allegation on how the CM tried to buy silence on his scams, Yeddyurappa dared the JD(S) state president to swear the same before Lord Manjunatha. The drama, however, won't take place, as senior BJP leaders dismissed the idea

Reacting to Kumaraswamy's allegation on how the CM tried to buy silence on his scams, Yeddyurappa dared the JD(S) state president to swear the same before Lord Manjunatha. The drama, however, won't take place, as senior BJP leaders dismissed the idea

The unprecedented swearing match between Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and former CM H D Kumaraswamy at the Dharmasthala temple on the 27th of this month is unlikely to happen, as senior leaders in the BJP are not in favour of the idea.



Responding to Kumarswamy's allegation that Yeddyurappa had attempted to buy silence on his scams, the latter had dared the JD(S) state president to state the same before Lord Manjunatha, deity of Dharmasthala.
Kumaraswamy accepted the challenge and the date was fixed, taking the political drama to the lowest possible level.

Fighting fit?
Yeddyurappa, who willu00a0 return after treatment for high blood pressure in Kerala, is preparing for the showdown. However, the BJP high command is understood to have reprimanded him for opening a fresh episode that could further dent the image of the party, which is already tarnished by the graft cases filed against him.

"Earlier this month L K Advani had expressed concern over the image of the Yeddyurappa government and asked for measures to control the damage. He and other senior leaders are furious with Yeddyurappa's move. But, I don't think it will happen," said a senior leader in the BJP.

Footing the bill?
Even members close to Yeddyurappa, including several cabinet colleagues, are said to have expressed discontent and advised the CM to back away. Apart from calling the swearing match, Yeddyurappa had advertised through a letter in the newspapers, the cost of which was borne by the government, and this has drawn flak within the BJP, besides eliciting sever criticism from outside.

Bogging down to the unfavourable response, Yeddyurappa has decided to pay from his own pocket for the advertisement ufffd over Rs1crore ufffd though officially it would be paid by the party. "We understand such advertisements can't be released by the government, and hence the party will bear the cost. The BJP will pay the the information department, which released the ad," said B J Puttaswamy, political secretary to the CM.

Unholy idea!
Even Veerendra Heggade, trustee of the Dharmasthala temple, is understood to be displeased. He is believed to have expressed his displeasure before Shobha Karandlaje, minister and close aide to Yeddyurappa, and K S Eswarappa, state BJP president, when they met him in Dharmasthala yesterday.

"The temple should not be used for politics and its credibility should not be put at stake just to prove some political point," he reportedly told them. Heggade is upset over the CM deciding on the swearing match without his consent. "We did not discuss this plan with Heggade and had come to pay obeisance and seek blessings. I won't comment on the swearing," said Shobha. Deve Gowda is also not in favour of the idea, and he said that he would advise his son Kumaraswamy not take things further.

'Unfit for CM'
"Yeddyurappa is unfit to be the CM. He is trying to universalise his superstition by getting into these gimmicks. I will not go there to witness the 'thamasaha' and it is left to Kumaraswamy to take the call," he said. Kumaraswamy on the other hand said he would not back down. "I am ready to testify if Yeddyurappa really wants it." he said.

More to add!
Bringing up another item to add to the list of other allegations against the CM, Siddaramiah, leader of the opposition in the assembly, has accused Yeddyurappa of evading income tax to the tune of Rs 332 crore. He informed that he would be releasing documents on the same to the media today.

Fresh salvos
Even as the swearing farce is being enacted, Kumaraswamy is all set to expose fresh scams against Yeddyurappa. As MiD DAY had reported earlier this month, he is expected to unearth a scam worth over than Rs 500 crore on June 22.u00a0 "Wait for the 22nd of this month and I will release the documents in Delhi so that the BJP high command can take note of Yeddyurappa's corruption," he said. Meanwhile, S Bangarappa, former chief minister and JD(S) leader is expected to expose a land scam linking Yeddyurappa today. He has called a press conference to reveal the details.