BJP suspends its legislator for leveling bribery charges against Karnataka CM

With a view to averting a possible threat to the coalition Government in Karnataka, the BJP suspended its legislator Janardhan Reddy hours after he accused Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and two other JD (S) Ministers of collecting a bribe of Rs 1.5 billion from mine owners in Bellary district.

BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda told reporters that Janardhan Reddy, who is also the President of BJP’s Bellary district has been suspended from the primary membership of the party for violating party discipline. The BJP state unit’s decision to keep Janardhan Reddy under suspension had been conveyed to the party’s central leadership in New Delhi.

Reddy, a BJP member of the Legislative Council, had retracted his bribery charge against the Chief Minister earlier this week, succumbing to pressure from the party leadership. But, on Wednesday, he dropped a bombshell by repeating his allegation in the Legislative Council, plunging the five-month-old JD (S)-BJP coalition Government into a crisis.

Even as the Opposition Congress leaders met Governor T N Chaturvedi on Thursday to press for a CBI probe into the bribery episode involving the Chief Minister and two of his cabinet colleagues. Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Dharam Singh and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge led a large group of Congressmen to Raj Bhavan in Bangalore to press for action against the Chief Minister.

Speaking to reporters, Dharam Singh said H D Kumaraswamy had no right to continue as Chief Minister in the wake of bribery charges levelled against him. A CBI probe should be ordered into the episode and the Kumaraswamy should quit as Chief Minister pending a probe into bribery charges.

The Congress leaders have apprehended a threat to the life of Janardhan Reddy and urged the Government to extend police protection to the BJP legislator.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy convened a meeting of JD (S) Legislature Party in Bangalore yesterday and decided to file a defamation case against Janardhan Reddy for leveling bribery charges against him and two other ministerial colleagues – Forest Minister C Chennigappa and Home Minister M P Prakash.

The JD (S) also sought to bring pressure on its coalition partner BJP to drop its Minister B Sriramulu, also hailing from Bellary, for reportedly instigating Janardhan Reddy to level accusations against the Chief Minister and two JD (S) Ministers.

The BJP, which held meeting in Bangalore, however refused to accommodate the demand of the JD (S) to drop Sriramulu from the coalition Ministry. However, the party leaders assured to consider a proposal to expel Janardhan Reddy from the party and salvage the coalition Government.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, however, sought to clarify that the bribery charges against the Chief Minister by its legislator will not rock the coalition Government. “The Government is stable. This episode will not affect the Government”, he told reporters.