The season of sting operations in Karnataka

Agencies

Bangalore, 23 October 2010: It looks like a season of sting operations in Karnataka. For a change, media is not doing sting on politicians. Politicians themselves are resorting to sting operations on each other. Beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is heading the shakiest government in the history of the state is hurtling from one trouble to another. The latest trouble for him has come in the form a sting operation done by his arch rival former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy of JDS, who has vowed to end his once coalition partners BJP rule in the state.

 

Kumaraswamy has released a video CD to expose how BJP is trying to buy JDS and Congress MLAs to stay in power. In this CD a BJP MLA Suresh Gowda of Tumkur rural offers Rs 16 crores to a JDS MLA S R Sreenivas of Gubbi from the same Tumkur district, if he is ready to quit assembly. H D Kumaraswamy said ’ The President’s rule is a must. Otherwise the state will be finished by BJP’s money bags’

 

A shocked BJP dismissed the sting operation as a desperate attempt by Kumaraswamy to tarnish BJP’s image. The BJP has charged him with producing fake CDs to cover up his own horse-trading attempts. Hitting back at his one time bosom friend turned tormentor chief minister B S Yeddyurappa called Kumaraswamy a desperate man in a hurry. He even rubbished his charges as baseless and termed the CD incident a fake.

 

 

The season of sting operations actually started with the BJP releasing an audio clip in which Kumaraswamy was offering ministerial posts and other incentives to a senior BJP MLA from Kodagu district (Coorg) Appachchu Ranjan for defection, a day before the controversial trust vote on 11th October. But, that CD incident did not make desired impact and the issue was diverted towards much maligned trust vote.

 

The people of Karnataka are helplessly watching the open buying and selling of their MLAs. They feel that the entire circus to save the government by BJP and bring it down by the Opposition has brought disgrace to the state. Some Congress and JDS MLA are openly admitting that BJP is offering them upto Rs 50 crores to switch sides. They are even naming Yeddyurappa’s special friend and power minister Shobha Karandlaje as one of the main buyers.

 

The 224-member Karnataka assembly now has just 205 members after two Congress MLAs and one JDS MLA switched side in the last three days. 16 rebel MLAs are fighting a battle in the Karnataka High Court. Sadly, neither the BJP nor the Opposition is ready to accept the status quo and wait for the court’s decision.

 

They are doing everything possible to outdo each other in the Nataka of Karnataka. Some say coming days will witness more and more such tamashas causing an irreparable damage to the state’s image. Yeddyurappa is safe for the time being. But, how long will he be able to survive like this?