Video Shows BSY Admitting to 'BJP President' Role in Bringing Down HDK Govt, Cong to Approach SC

Bengaluru: In major embarrassment for the BJP, a video has gone viral purportedly showing Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa admitting to the party having played a role in 'Operation Kamala' to bring down the JDS-Congress government by getting the coalition MLAs to resign.

The seven-minute clip is reportedly from Yediyurappa’s address at a party meeting in Hubli. While Yediyurappa appears at the fag end for a couple of seconds, the rest of the clip is mostly the audio of his speech, in which he expresses displeasure at other party members for not heeding to his call of standing by the MLAs who defected.

The CM was in Hubli for a series of party meetings at Hotel Denissons on October 26, where he participated in preparatory meetings for December 5 by-elections to 15 assembly constituencies. He also attended a meeting to choose candidates for a few seats of the legislative council. The party's core committee meeting, too, was held the same afternoon.

"The way you have all spoken today… I don't think you speak like you are interested in this government continuing," Yediyurappa is purportedly heard saying.

"Whether this election (by-elections) is won or lost is a different issue. But at this serious juncture in time, not even one of you has said we will stand by them (the defecting MLAs), come what may," the CM is heard saying.

The voice in the clip then reminds the gathering of the effort put in by top leaders, including the party's national president, in executing the ‘coup’ against the coalition government.

"You all know about the decisions of the 17 MLAs right? All of you in this room know how it was not just Yediyurappa's decision, but that of the national president, to move them to Mumbai. For two-and-half months, they couldn't go to their constituencies, nor meet their families, they just stayed there,” the CM allegedly said.

“At a time when we were staring at a position where we could have remained in the opposition for the next three and three-fourths of the term, we have come to be the party in power. They went all the way to the Supreme Court for this. All of you have made long speeches and given advice, but have you ever thought what you would do had you been in their position?" he reportedly said.

Speaking about leaders like Raju Kage who are hoping to be fielded by the party in by-elections instead of the MLAs who defected, Yediyurappa apparently tells the gathering that they should have come forward and offered to placate Kage, instead of speaking in his favour.

"How right is it for you all to say such things? I didn't expect such things from you, I'm sorry. I don't have to be CM here, I've been CM for three-and-half-years before,” Yediyurappa is heard saying.

“Maybe I'm the criminal here, to have taken them (the defecting MLAs) into confidence and to sit in the CM's chair. I've done a crime now, I feel… I should not have come to this meeting. Not even one of you said ‘they sacrificed so we could come to power’. What is the point of them resigning from MLA posts, what was the need for it? They believed us and came, right? If you all had said that ‘it may be difficult for them to win, but we will work towards it’, I would have acknowledged it, but that kind of view has not come from either seniors or juniors here," the CM is purportedly heard saying.

Ironically enough, the video ends with him requesting the gathering not to put out such differing viewpoints in the public domain.

The viral video bolstered the allegations by Congress and JD(S) that the BJP had been conspiring to bring down the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government. The Congress said it will approach the Supreme Court with the “evidence”.

“@bsybjp again confesses about operation Kamala and the immoral defection of @INCIndia MLAs. He also clearly reveals that Amit Shah took care of the defectors for 2.5 months in Mumbai,” Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted.

“This tape directly implicates the Union home minister. He has taken oath on the Constitution... There is no bigger proof than this, all our allegations are now proven right,” Rao told reporters.

Rao’s cabinet colleague said BJP’s involvement is “established beyond doubt”. “We have always said that the BJP is misusing government agencies to poach MLAs, now it's established beyond doubt. We'll approach SC with the evidence,” he said.

Former chief minister and JDS leader Kumaraswamy said, “How the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) misused power and money was exposed yesterday. Now people have to judge them.”

He added, "We already decided whatever content is there (in that shared video), that we are going to file before the court." However, Kumaraswamy said he will not demand any inquiry because he has reservations about the outcome.

"Any inquiry is not going to help. Based on whatever former Central Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal has written about the functioning of investigation agencies in his book, I am convinced that nothing will happen," he said.