18 May,2011 06:24 AM IST | | B V Shiva Shankar
Insiders say Reddys' interest in protecting Yeddy's government is a calculated political move; they want the BJP to stay in power, as they are facing serious charges in illegal mining case
The smile on Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's face did come at a price mind you, but that was not out of his pockets. The Reddy camp bore the cost of around Rs 5 crore for the entourage of BJP MLAs, who paraded in the Rashtrapathi Bhavan yesterday to show the majority his government is enjoying.
Count me in: BJP MLAs raise their hands to register their support for the
Yeddyurappa led government in the state. Pic/Satish Badiger
While Yeddyurappa is showing the support of 121 MLAs on paper, 115 BJP legislators were actually present
for the head count at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan in Delhi. Six MLAs, including Hemachand Sagar,
Dr Aswathanarayana, J Narasimhaswamy, Eshanna Gulagannavar and Shankaralinge Gowda were absent for various reasons.
Jet setting
Sixteen BJP MPs representing the state, MLCs and other leaders were part of the entourage taking the strength to around 300. The team went to Delhi in three teams and airfares came to around Rs 60 lakh.
The leaders were accommodated in different five star hotels in the capital, while some resided at the Karnataka Bhavan. Overall, the bills for boarding and lodging amounted to around Rs 2 crore.
"The Reddys are not sparing anything to save the government. They came forward to spend money to protect the party's interests and their move is well appreciated," said a BJP leader.
The bill in on me
Apart from about Rs 3 crore spent in Delhi for two days, the Reddys shelled out more than Rs 2 crore in Bangalore before the delegation left for the capital, and that was to foot bills when they conducted various meetings at five star hotels.
The Reddy brothers ufffd G Janardana Reddy, Karunakara Reddy and Somashekara Reddy ufffd are the mining lords from Bellary, playing a pivotal role in the state politics through their money and muscle power since 1999, when Sushma Swaraj contested Lok Sabha polls from Bellary.
They reportedly funded the BJP poll campaign when the state went for assembly elections in 2008, and as per a rough calculation, they had supposedly spent around Rs 200 crore.
Sitting pretty
When the BJP won the polls, Janardana, Karunakara, and their close confidant Sriramulu became the cabinet ministers and Somashekara was made chairman of Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
While they wanted to enjoy their position as the king makers, Yeddyurappa refused to dance to their tunes, which led to dissidence activities in the BJP shaking the very base of the state government.
Although the Reddys' interest in protecting Yeddyurappa government has raised hackles, their move is a calculated political one. They want the government to survive as they are facing serious charges of illegal mining and are likely to resume the fight for leadership change, once the government comes out of the crisis.
"Everyone is doing his bit for the party and we are also chipping in. There is no motive behind it. It is wrong that we have funded the entourage," said Somashekara.
