Vijayapura, Jan 14 (IANS): Karnataka BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Wednesday accused Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of offering cabinet berths "under the money and secret CD quota" and leaving out senior leaders committed to party ideology.
Lashing out at Yediyurappa, Yatnal said: "This is shameful. I know for sure that at least two new cabinet ministers and a political secretary of the CM have blackmailed him (Yediyurappa) with a secret CD to get the ministerial berths in the government."
He added that in earlier instances, the cabinet expansion was based on considerations of caste, district, and loyalty to the party, but "now, the cabinet berths are being blessed under money and secret CD quota".
Yatnal, who has been earlier cautioned by the party over his outbursts, also alleged besides the secret CD, a lot of money has also been exchanged between those who got berths and Yediyurappa's son, B. Y. Vijayendra, who is a Vice President of the state unit.
Claiming that he was not making these accusations against Yediyurappa and his family members over being passed over for a cabinet berth, he said that he knows many such secrets. However, Yatnal continually refused to divulge any details about what the alleged CD contained.
Continuing to attack the Chief Minister, he said: "Even many leaders in the party complained against CM Yediyurappa for taking only his sons instead of senior party leaders while meeting the high command in New Delhi. A group of leaders are unhappy with his style of functioning."
Launching a veiled attack on Bilgi MLA, sugar baron and industrialist, Murugesh R. Nirani, who became a minister, Yatnal claimed that three elected members, who took oath as cabinet ministers, had met him in a private resort in Nelamangala and had discussed plans to overthrow Yediyurappa as Chief Minister.
"I was shocked, when I heard one of them was even ready to shell out to the tune of Rs 100 crore to oust him. I know of sure that it is a cent per cent fact that at least two ministers got power by blackmailing Yediyurappa," he alleged.
Yatnal also alleged that the Chief Minister recently doled out a sum of Rs 83 crore to various Veerashaiva-Lingayat mutts across the state with a request to all pontiffs to rebel against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, if the party high command decides to remove him from power.
Yediyurappa is using the Veerashaiva-Lingayat mathas to safeguard his and his family's political power, he said.
"Yediyurappa is a disgrace to our community with his political machinations. He should take moral responsibility and tender resignation," he demanded.
Taking exceptions to Yediyurappa family members enjoying the trappings of power, Yatnal said that party leaders must take note of Yediyurappa rapidly taking control of the party by ensuring one family member after another secures plum posts in the party.
"Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi speaks at length about getting rid of dynastic politics from the country, but in our own backyard, Yediyurappa is CM, while his eldest son (B.Y. Raghvendra) is a (Shivamogga) Lok Sabha member and his younger son (Vijayendra) is our party state unit Vice President. If this is the case, how can we attack our rival parties over dynastic politics?" he asked.