Jethmalani, Ramesh Kumar trade charges

The release of book on  former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s life turned out to be a play of attack and counterattack here on Friday.

Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani tore into Rajiv, Rahul and Sonia Gandhi while praising BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and then it was the turn of former speaker Ramesh Kumar to give it back to Jethmalani.

The mood at the Jnana Jyothi auditorium where Sapna Book Stall had organised release of the book, ‘B S Yeddyurappa: His Vision and Passions’ was one of excitement and anticipation with people feasting on the digs being traded.

Saying that Indian rulers were doing what foreign rulers did, plundering the country, Jethmalani said the Congress and the Union government were doing nothing to get back 1,500 billion dollars stashed away in Swiss banks.

“While Germany gave 475 million dollars to a source and got the names of all those with Swiss accounts, what is India doing? Why does it have the list of only 14 names? We are given to understand that Rajiv Gandhi received 2.2 billion dollars. How much has Rahul inherited? How much has he earned in his life? From where do they get the financial resources,” Jethmalani asked.

Holding the prime minister and the finance minister accountable for doing nothing on illegal Swiss accounts, the senior lawyer said that if he became the PM, the first thing he would do is to bring back the money. “I think I am better than them. There’s only one man better than me and that is Modi. Let him become PM.”

Expressing support to Yeddyurappa, he said: “Yeddyurappa is the son of the soil. He has a great bonding with people and it will only get better. He will one day master all the enemies.” The suddenness of Jethmalani’s remarks caught Kumar by surprise. “If the organisers had told me that Ram Jethmalani was coming, I wouldn’t have come at all,” he said.

“Yeddyurappa transformed a party of business people and traders into a farmers’ party. But this doesn’t mean I will join the BJP. You came to power, but of course with the help of JD(S). On your own, we don’t know if you would have made it.”

Kumar slammed Jethmalani next. “You have written a book with accusations against judicial members. Why has a single contempt petition not been filed against you? Sir I am not a lawyer nor am I as big as you. You say that you are waiting for the flight to go to heaven. Only an octogenarian can say that, but what can I do when I am still in the sixties?”

“As for the Gandhis, can I say whatever you’d like to hear? It’s unfortunate that some people have formed a coterie around Sonia and Rahul. Both of them are trapped in the circle, but its also because they have seen tragic deaths in their lives.” Yeddyurappa signed off the meeting by saying he would take all the advise given to him as blessings from elders.