BENGALURU: State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa queried Chief Minister Siddaramaiah mockingly on how he felt while sharing the dais with former minister B S Anand Singh, who was incarcerated for involvement in illegal mining scam, even as he defended the decision to induct former minister Goolihatti Shekar, despite his rebellion against the Lingayat strongman during his tenure as Chief Minister.
On Saturday, Mr Yeddyurappa raised this point while replying to a question on how could the BJP induct Mr Shekar, who along other independents, rocked the previous BJP government. “Expressing regret about the past, Mr Shekar came forward to join the party, and we did not mind. In the changed circumstances, we have to move on forgetting the past,” Mr Yeddyurappa said adding “The Congress and the CM have been calling us jail birds. Didn’t we see KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar and Mr Siddaramaiah embracing Mr Singh who went to jail twice? What do they say about jail birds now?"
Earlier, Mr Yeddyurappa handed over the party flag to Mr Shekar and welcomed him into the party fold. Mr Shekar, a Bovi leader from Hosadurga, won the Assembly polls in 2008 as a rebel candidate following denial of ticket by JD(S) leaders. He and other independents extended support to the BJP when it could not form the government on its own, and were rewarded with berths in the ministry.
