Audio clip hinting change of leadership in K’taka surfaces
Bengaluru, July 19: Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel has dismissed as fake an audio clip that hints at possible leadership change in the state, and said it was not his voice.
The clip has gone viral, fuelling a new round of speculation on whether replacing the 78-year-old Chief Minister is on the cards.
Yediyurappa, who is completing two years in office on July 26, visited Delhi last week, meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and BJP national president J.P. Nadda.
The trip raised questions in some quarters if the party is now working out a succession plan.
On his return from the national capital, Yediyurappa rubbished talks in some quarters that he is on way out, and asserted that the central leadership has asked him to continue in the post.
The surfacing of the audio clip has led to political buzz again on the leadership issue.
Kateel has termed the brief audio as “fake” and has demanded an inquiry into the tape where the talk was about “removing the entire team” without mentioning Yeddyurappa’s name.
“Don’t tell anybody...The entire team of Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar (ministers) will be removed. We are making a new team...,” the conversation went.
“Three names are there (for CM’s post) but they won’t be considered. They’ll put (appoint) from Delhi itself,” he added.
Eshwarappa, who was earlier the state BJP president, is currently the rural development & panchayat raj minister, whereas Shettar, a former chief minister, is the Industries Minister in the Yediyurappa cabinet.
However, clarifying on the audio tape, Kateel in Mangaluru said, he has nothing to do with it.
“I’m writing a letter to the Chief Minister urging for a complete inquiry about it. Let the truth come out through inquiry. Several such incidents have happened in the past in politics, it is not right, let there be an inquiry,” he said.