Bengaluru, Apr 16 (Agencies): BJP Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa said on Saturday that an SUV, allegedly worth around Rs 1 crore, was gifted to him by former industries minister Murugesh R Nirani.
"Murugesh Nirani has given me this car for party work. After that, he will take back the car. I am going around the state, so a good car is required. I am going to use it and after two years, once my term is over, he will take the car back," Yeddyurappa said.
When asked why he was using this car to travel across the drought-hit state of Karnataka, Yeddyurappa said these two things should not be compared.
"When I go to other states, I will use their cars. I am not going to use this car there," he said.
The former Karnataka chief minister had recently assumed charge as the state BJP president and set an ambitious target of having an absolute majority by winning 150 seats in the 224-member house in the 2018 assembly polls.
Yeddyurappa was forced to resign as Chief Minister in 2011 over graft charges, following which he quit the party to form his own outfit, Karnataka Janata Party, which failed to make a mark except to cause damage to BJP in 2013 polls.
He returned to the BJP following the announcement of Modi as party’s prime ministerial candidate ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls.