Same yardstick as in Rawat case has to be applied in K’taka, says Gowda

in 2016, which was caught on tape by a news channel editor, he said “the current Central government did it (case against Mr Rawat). The same yardstick has to be followed here... Let’s wait and see what they will do.”

A purported audio clipping of Mr Yediyurappa expressing anguish against BJP leaders at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to disqualified CongressJD(S) MLAs for the December 5 assembly bypolls in 15 Assembly constituencies had surfaced on Friday.

In the audio, Mr Yediyurappa can be heard saying that the rebel Congress JD(S) MLAs, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumabi during the final days of the coalition government under the watch of BJP president Amit Shah. He had hit out at party leaders for lack of support in “saving” the BJP government and not recognising rebels “sacrifice”, behind party coming to power.

The resignation and absence of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs from trust vote had led to the fall of coalition government, and made way for BJP to come to power.

Meanwhile, Mr Gowda, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warned that a countrywide agitation would be launched, opposing import of milk products under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which India is about to sign.

He requested that the dairy sector be excluded from the ambit of RCEP, in the larger interest of farmers, considering the “huge and far reaching” implications it would have on the sector.

“If the Union government does not realise that allowing import of milk products is a suicidal step, putting the livelihood of dairy farmers at peril, I have no other alternative except to launch a country wide agitation opposing import of milk products as well as boycotting them,” he added.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — a mega free trade agreement — was being negotiated among 10 Asean countries with their six FTA partners (India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand), and the proposed deal is expected to be finalised and signed in a day or two.