JOIN USFormer minister and Congress leader M B Patil on Monday whisked away Kushtagi MLA Amaregouda Bayyapur from the town, indicating that the Congress party was still worried about poaching of its MLAs by the BJP.
Bayyapur, a Congress party MLA, visited Kushtagi for the first time after taking oath as the MLA. He was scheduled to leave for Bengaluru by train on Monday night.
However, Patil, who was in the town, whisked away Bayyapur in his car to Basapur. The duo flew to Bengaluru from Basapur. Before leaving Kushtagi, Patil told reporters: “The BJP can do anything if the Congress leaders don’t intervene. The saffron party leaders are still attempting to poach Congress MLAs.”
Bayyapur’s close aides claimed that former chief minister Siddaramaiah had directed Patil not to leave Bayyapur alone and bring him back to Bengaluru safely.
The BJP was in talks with Bayyapur after state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa was invited to form the government.
However, Bayyapur remained loyal to the Congress.