I took CM’s Permission to Meet HDK - Sreeramulu

Bangalore, Mar 12 (DC): Giving an interesting twist to his ‘secret meeting’ with former Chief Minister and JD(S) state president H.D. Kumara-swamy, health minister B. Sreeramulu stated on Friday that his meeting with Kumaraswamy was with prior permission from Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

A day after tourism minister G. Janardhana Reddy avoided taking a dig at Kumaraswamy, health minister B. Sreeramulu said that he has had cordial and friendly relations with Kumaraswamy from the beginning.

In the light of rising speculations over bitter enemies Reddy Brothers and H.D. Kumaraswamy, working towards a patch up, Sreeramulu told reporters here that there was no political angle to his meeting Kumaraswamy.

“It’s true that I had a meeting with Kumaraswamy, but it was on a personal matter. Before I met Kumara-swamy, I intimated it to the Chief Minister and some other colleagues, and took their consent”, he remarked.

Refusing to divulge the purpose and other details of the meeting, Sriramulu quipped saying, “It was just a personal meeting with a long time friend.”

It is a surprising development, as Kumara-swamy and Reddy are known to be arch enemies. In 2006, Reddy had charged Kumaraswamy with taking Rs 150 crores as bribes from miners during his tenure as CM. Since then, the two camps have been at war.

Sreeramulu, had filed a murder complaint against r Kumaraswamy on September 25, 2007 in Bellary, even though he was tourism minister in Kumaraswamy led JD(S)-BJP coalition government, after JD(S) workers allegedly opened fire on him during a pre-poll fracas during Bellary Municipal elections.