Yeddy to MLAs: Stay on My Side, Not Reddys
Bangalore, Aug 4 (DC): In a bid to isolate the Reddy brothers further, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has warned some of his ministers who are seen to be hobnobbing with the Bellary strongmen, to cut ties with the clique at the earliest.
To drive the point home, Yeddyurappa has given a clear direction to all ministers who owe allegiance to him not to take any help from the Reddy mine barons to organise rallies planned by the party.
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Yeddyurappa, who was closeted with a few ministers, including Transport minister R. Ashok and social welfare minister D. Sudhakar, took them to task for associating with the controversial mining magnates. He reportedly reminded Mr Ashok that it was he who had given him two ministerial portfolios and charge of two districts.
In a similar vein, he jogged Sudhakar's memory on how he had protected him even after the CBI framed charges against him. The bottomline? The chief minister made clear to both ministers that the two forthcoming rallies should be organised at Gulbarga and Mysore independent of the Reddys.
Several city MLAs, who back Ashok, told Deccan Chronicle that they were standing with the party and chief minister. " Reddy keeps giving public statements that he has the support of 20 MLAs. In reality, he might not have the backing of even two MLAs. Since he is close to reporters, he feeds them a different picture," three MLAs in the Ashok group said.
After the legislature session had been adjourned abruptly, Yeddyurappa has been working relentlessly to lure away all the MLAs and ministers who are identified with the Reddy brothers.
Several ministers, including Goolihatti Shekar and P.M. Narendra Swamy, who are not in the good books of the chief minister, met Yeddyurappa. The fence-sitters, led by excise minister M.P. Renuka-charya, too, met him for approval of developmental projects in their constituencies, the sources said.