Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday warned BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa of consequences if he failed to "watch his words" and "act his age".
An irate Kumaraswamy said that if Yeddyurappa and his partymen "provoked" him further through their attempts to destabilise the government, he would be forced to make certain revelations, which could prove detrimental to the saffron leaders.
Speaking to reporters after visiting his ministerial colleague D K Shivakumar at a hospital in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said that Yeddyurappa should stop attacking him and his family members.
He said that it was ironic that Yeddyurappa was living in a "glass house" and was trying to throw stones at the ruling party leaders. If he's not careful, Yeddyurappa would land himself in trouble, like he has the past, said Kumaraswamy.
Branding the Lingayat strongman as the "father of percentage government", he reminded him that the Shivaram Karanth Layout denotification case was still pending before the court.
Operation 'Kamala'
Kumaraswamy also revealed that he was aware of every move being made by the BJP to topple the coalition government. He said that the saffron party would, however, not succeed in its attempts.
"In 2008, Yeddyurappa gave a statement that his only aim was to send me and my father to jail. Ironically he himself landed in jail. But he continues to attack my family by accusing that we are looting the state. Now he's claiming that he will send Shivakumar to jail. Yeddyurappa shouldn't forget that he is living in a glass house. He is the father of percentage government, for, he is the one who introduced the percentage system. He should stop talking lightly about my family. My family has always tried to protect the resources of the state. We have never tried to loot it. I have remained patient. But if I am provoked, skeletons will come tumbling out. After all the government is in my hands," Kumaraswamy said.
Resort politics
The chief minister said he and Shivakumar had discussed the BJP's attempts to poach the Congress and JD(S) MLAs, at length, during his visit to the hospital.
Kumaraswamy said that the BJP leaders had approached a couple of ruling party MLAs on Wednesday night, claiming that it had successfully lured 18 MLAs and asked them to join their camp.
Kumaraswamy said that the BJP had called JD(S) MLA Suresh Gowda (Nagamangala) over phone and had approached Congress MLA Shivalli Channabasappa Satyappa (Kundagol) in person.
"Suresh Gowda got a call last night, while Shivalli was approached at 12 am. He was offered Rs 5 crore. 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. The BJP leaders are holding a meeting at the Bowring Institute even as we speak. It's ridiculous that they are pointing fingers at me. I am not trying to poach anybody. But the BJP, too, should understand that it can't misuse power and do anything," he added.
