Videogate: BSY pins blame on Siddaramaiah for defection

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is firefighting the video leak, maintained on Monday he had nothing to do with the 17 disqualified 'rebel' MLAs, while attacking Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday for 'creating confusion'.

Speaking to reporters, Yediyurappa said: "It was Siddaramaiah who caused the 17 MLAs to resignation, because of which the (coalition) government fell. But today, he's making baseless allegations against the BJP."

Yediyurappa dared Siddaramaiah to face the bypolls on December 5. "Face the elections if you have the guts. Whether or not the MLAs will contest on a Congress ticket, or on the JD(S) or BJP, or independently, it's their freedom. I have nothing to do with it. But you are creating confusion in the Supreme Court and among the public," the CM said, calling the video clip 'false.'

Last week, a leaked video clip from an internal party meeting had Yediyurappa referring to how Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in on Congress and JD(S) legislators camping in Mumbai, causing the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. He is also heard saying that he felt like having committed a 'crime' by “getting the MLAs to trust him.”

This came as a blow to the BJP, which claimed it had nothing to do with the defection.

"I'm still saying we have nothing to do with the resignation of MLAs," Yediyurappa said.

"The MLAs themselves resigned saying they don't want to continue in the government, and that they be allowed to contest the polls...that's the question before the Supreme Court," he said, brushing aside the Congress' move to flag the video in the top court.

Besides attacking Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa also targeted former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar. "Kumar colluded with Siddaramaiah and got the MLAs disqualified. Wasn't this a conspiracy, which you are trying to hush up by blaming the BJP?"