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CM-BSY verbal duel wades into personal territory

Last Updated 21 September 2018, 12:34 IST

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa engaged in a bitter war of words on Thursday over the latter’s accusations against the chief minister’s family.

Kumaraswamy triggered the spat by cautioning Yeddyurappa against “crossing the line”. The chief minister asserted himself with his “I am the government” remark, and warned Yeddyurappa of consequences if the BJP leader failed to “watch his words”.

Agitated over Yeddyurappa’s repeated attempts to taint the Gowda family, Kumaraswamy lambasted him for his ‘jail’ comment. He also branded him as the ‘father of percentage government’.

‘Percentage system’

Yeddyurappa, who was quick to react, countered Kumaraswamy by claiming that the BJP was more powerful as the party was at the helm in the Centre. Yeddyurappa had recently charged Kumaraswamy’s family with introducing “percentage system” in the administration.

Kumaraswamy launched a tirade soon after visiting his ministerial colleague D K Shivakumar at a hospital. If Yeddyurappa and his partymen “provoked” him further by slandering his family and made attempts to topple the government, he would be forced to make certain revelations, which could prove detrimental to the saffron party leaders, he told reporters.

He said that Yeddyurappa was living in a “glass house” and was trying to throw stones at the ruling party leaders. He also reminded him that the Shivaram Karanth Layout denotification case was still pending before the court.

Jail barbs

“In 2008, Yeddyurappa said his only aim was to send me and my father to jail. But, he himself landed in jail. He continues to attack my family, saying that we are looting the state.

Now he’s claiming that he will send Shivakumar to jail. He is the one who introduced the percentage system. He should stop talking lightly about my family. If I am provoked, skeletons will come tumbling out. After all, the government is in my hands,” Kumaraswamy said.

The chief minister said he was aware of BJP’s moves to destabilise the government. The BJP leaders had approached JD(S) MLA Suresh Gowda (Nagamangala) and Congress MLA Shivalli Channabasappa Satyappa (Kundagol) on Wednesday night, claiming they had successfully lured 18 MLAs.

“The BJP leaders told them that they had 18 MLAs with them and they were all in the process of boarding flights to Mumbai and Pune. The MLAs will apparently be hijacked from here to Maharashtra and later brought to Vidhana Soudha with military force,” he said sarcastically.

‘Exercise restraint’

Yeddyurappa who shot back at Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar, in turn, asked them to not speak out of turn.

“I know my limits. But Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar should exercise restraint. I will not yield to these threats. Kumaraswamy has no moral right to point fingers at me, when he himself is facing several charges.”

“The Deve Gowda family is involved in land scams. Kumaraswamy is indulging in revenge politics. The chief minister’s post is not permanent. The Modi government at the Centre knows how to counter him,” he added.

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(Published 21 September 2018, 02:44 IST)

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