Hubballi: Chikkodi-Sadalaga Congress MLA Ganesh Hukkeri’s phone conversation that he will quit the party to join the BJP sparked off a heated debate in Belagavi district on Sunday. But soon after the phone clip went viral, the legislator retracted his statement saying he did it “just for fun”.
In the phone clip, he is heard saying that he would join the BJP on January 19 in the presence of party state president B.S. Yediyurappa, but refuses to reveal the names of other Congress legislators who were keen to join the BJP. The clip only further confirmed the claims of BJP leaders that the party will soon form the government in the state.
Claiming that the phone conversation should not be taken seriously, Ganesh Hukkeri, son of senior Congress leader and MP Prakash Hukkeri, said that he will focus on ensuring the victory of his father in the Lok Sabha elections. “The Congress is home and family to me and my father. We have been associated with the party for four decades. It has given everything to my family and I will not go anywhere without the party. I said I will join the BJP just to have some fun,” he said.
Stating that the speculation should not be given much importance, Mr Prakash Hukkeri said that his family will remain with the Congress in future as well. BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore was quick to react, saying Hukkeris had never spoken truth in their life as he has seen them from close quarters. He alleged that it is only a blackmailing tactic of the father and son to get a proper position in the Congress. He said that the BJP has no role and is not making any effort to lure Congress legislators.
