Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 22: Chief minister Siddarmaiah on Sunday October 22 slammed the opposition BJP over allegations of Rs 447 crore scam involving him and energy minister D K Shivakumar.

Speaking to reporters after landing at Mangaluru airport here en route Bantwal, CM Siddaramaiah said, "The allegations levelled by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa are baseless and are politcally motivated.

Yeddyurappa on Saturday October 21 had accused the CM and the energy minister of being involved in a Rs 447-crore relating to the state-owned Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL).

"Several Congress leaders including D K Shivakumar have already responded to the allegations. The allegations have been made to gain political mileage in view of the upcoming Assembly elections," Siddaramaiah said.

Responding to the controversy over Tipu Jayanti celebrations, wherein BJP leaders particularly union minister Ananthkumar Hegde turned down the invite, he said, "We will celebrate Tipu Jayanti at any cost. The BJP leaders are playing politics over a state government programme. We will include names of political leaders as per protocol, it is left to them whether they wish to attend or not."

He also pointed out that when Yeddyurappa was in the KJP, he himself had participated in programmes honouring Tipu Sultan.

Siddaramaiah was accompanied by ministers D K Shivakumar and Roshan Baig.

The CM was welcomed at the airport by several Congress leaders including minister Ramanath Rai, MLAs Vinay Kumar Sorake, Shakuntala Shetty, J R Lobo, Mohiuddin Bava, MLC Ivan D'Souza, mayor Kavita Sanil and others. 

The CM then left for Bantwal, where he is inaugurating a spate of development projects.

Congress workers who arrived in large numbers with drums jostled with each other to catch a glimpse of the CM. Sources said that some of them fell in the melee.