Unrepentant Setty at it again

Former minister S N Krishnaiah Setty, who has survived in politics by organising poojas for influential persons and sending his god-fearing constituents on tours to shrines, was at it again on Saturday.

The former muzrai minister, who along with former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa spent over three weeks in jail in connection with a land scam case being prosecuted by the Lokayukta, offered Shiva Lingams made of silver to journalists as a gift for Shivaratri festival on Monday. Setty is out on bail in the case.

Setty, who is fond of publicising his largesse in the form of religious paraphernalia, made the offer to reporters who attended a press conference wherein he announced yet another round of distribution of Ganga jal on the occasion of Shivaratri at his office in Vikas Soudha.

The approximate cost of each linga is Rs 2,000. Barring a couple of mediapersons, the rest accepted the gift without much compunction.

Setty seems to have recovered from the arrest and jail term in the land scam case and seems to have reacquired his desire for power. He told reporters he continues to nurse hopes of rejoining the Cabinet as Muzrai minister in case Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda is willing to accommodate him. Why does he want to be a minister? “So that I can rejuvenate about 13,000 temples which are in dilapidated condition.”

Setty, whose first act after he became religious endowments minister in Yeddyurappa’s cabinet was to order all the temples under the government to dedicate the morning worship for the wellbeing of Yeddyurappa is convinced that if the worship had been continued, the former chief minister would not have been in political wilderness that he is in now.

“Had they continued archane as ordered by me (as the Muzrai Minister), nothing would have happened to Yeddyurappa. But unfortunately the order was withdrawn within a week’s time.”

A three-week stint in jail does not seem to have taught Setty much.