Hubballi: BJP leader and Vijayapura MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal has predicted that the coalition government will collapse on its own whether it undertakes Cabinet expansion or not.
Addressing press persons in Bagalkote, he said that the BJP will not be responsible if the government falls within the next few days. Stating that the BJP high command has directed party leaders to stay away from resort politics, he said that the audio tape released in the media recently about talk of Operation Lotus, was a creation of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy as he feared losing power. Asserting that BJP leaders are not involved in any deal for luring ruling party legislators, he challenged the government to conduct a probe to ascertain the veracity of the audio tape.
Charging that Congress and JD(S) have been hatching a conspiracy to suppress backward class leader B Sriramulu, he said that former CM Siddaramaiah is unable to tolerate the rise of the BJP leader to his level in politics. He also alleged that Congress is trying to make Sriramulu a scapegoat by releasing a fake audio tape in an attempt to implicate him.
