False charges dismissed, I stand vindicated, says BSY

“Satyameva Jayate. Justice is done. I stand vindicated,” tweeted BJP state president and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa soon after a special court for CBI cases here acquitted him in a Rs 40-crore bribery case on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters soon after the verdict was out, a relieved-looking Yeddyurappa said “false allegations and politically motivated charges” against him had been dismissed.

 “This verdict has come as a relief to lakhs of BJP workers and has provided new vigour to me to bring back the party to power in the 2018 Assembly polls,” he said. The BJP has been portraying Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate for the 2018 elections.

The BJP leader said he would be touring the state to gather support for the party. “I was a victim of a conspiracy hatched against me. I will not name any person or political party as it is well known who these conspirators are,” he said.

Yeddyurappa said he would soon be meeting BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and brief them on the court verdict.

Asked whether there were chances of him getting inducted into the Union Cabinet, the Shivamogga MP said he was not interested in national politics. “I will channelise all my energy to improve the state unit of the BJP,” he said.

To another query on a section of state BJP leaders being unhappy with his style of functioning, Yeddyurappa said the party was united.

“Differences, if any,  can be sorted out within the party forum,” he remarked.

He said senior leader K S Eshwarappa, who has been associating himself with the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the BJP’s mammoth Other Backward Classes (OBC) convention in Bengaluru on November 27 is a success.

Outside the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru, party workers and Yeddyurappa’s supporters broke into celebrations, hailing the judgement.

They raised slogans in praise of Yeddyurappa, burst fire crackers and distributed sweets.
 
Prasad meets BSY, fuels speculation
Former minister V Srinivas Prasad met BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday, fuelling speculation.
Prasad, who recently resigned as MLA, met Yeddyurappa late in the evening, at the latter's Dollars Colony residence. The meeting is said to have lasted over half an hour.
After tendering his resignation, Prasad had attacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress party in-charge for Karnataka, Digvijaya Singh and others. Later, Yeddyurappa had contacted Prasad over phone and had invited him into the saffron party fold. BJP leader D S Veeraiah too had met Prasad in this regard. Wednesday's development has created a flurry in political circles as the former minister has kept everybody guessing over his next move.