Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Dec 5: The rumour that BJP has been trying to undertake another round of Operation Lotus in the state to topple the coalition government has been evoking rumbles all around Karnataka. An audio which is said to be containing mobile conversation between the personal assistant of BJP MLA B Sriramulu and a Dubai-based entrepreneur, has given rise to new-found anxiousness in political circles.

Sriramulu who denied that the audio has any connection with his personal assistant, said that if at all he wants to indulge in Operation Lotus, he would do so after informing Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy in advance. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, said that his party would be filing complaint about the CD.

 Yeddyurappa (BJP), Kumaraswamy (JDS) and Siddaramaiah (Congress)

Dinesh Gundu Rao said that he wants to get to the root of Operation Lotus about which the audio conversation tape is available. He said that the complaint would be against those whose voices are heard in the tape. He said that the voices in the audio need to be identified first.

Speaking at Hospet, former chief minister, Jagadish Shettar, satirically commented that BJP is not needed to topple the government and that the Congress leaders themselves would engineer its fall. He said that in the name of ministry expansion, the party legislators will be causing the said downfall. He added that the coalition government, which won Lok Sabha seats by spending huge sums of money, will commit suicide on its own. "If the government falls, BJP will not be a mute spectator. Naturally it will be ready to form government to protect people's interests," he commented.

Minister for horticulture, M C Managuli, said at Chikkaballapur that B S Yeddyurappa, who is aged now, cannot become the chief minister again, and that devious efforts being made by BJP to come back to power in Karnataka are destined to be doomed.

Forest minister, R Shankar, said that none of the MLAs from Congress and JD(S) are ready to cross over to BJP. He said that the coalition government will rule the state for full five years.

BJP general secretary, C T Ravi, said that the government has manufactured this audio, which is a tactic to get some sympathy from the people by projecting as if efforts are being made to destabilize the coalition government.