Brinda Karat demands Yeddyurappa’s resignation over land scam row

NEW DELHI - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat on Monday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa for his alleged involvement in the land scam.

Asking Yeddyurappa to step down from his post, Karat said the Chief Minister should not only be removed, but also the land, which has been illegally given to the corporates or his kin should be returned.

Commenting on the land scam, she said it is poisonous that Yeddyurappa has given the public land to corporates for a pittance in return to favours to the Chief Minister and his family.

“The sting is against the people and that sting is just a poisonous sting that public land is being given to corporates for a pittance in return to favours to the Chief Minister and his family and others in power and this is an absolutely shameful record,” said Karat.

“Therefore the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has to get over its double standard and the Chief Minister should not only be removed but all the land which has been illegally given to corporates by this or that government must be returned,” she added.

Earlier today, Yeddyurappa ignored summons to reach New Delhi as directed by his party top brass and left for Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh to ’seek the blessings’ of Sri Satya Sai Baba.

Yeddyurappa rushed a team of his loyalists, including Acharya and Home Minister R Ashok, to Delhi apparently to persuade the BJP top brass against a change in leadership.

Shortly after his arrival, Acharya, who is Karnataka”s Higher Education Minister, told reporters, “We want Yeddyurappa to continue. There is no alternative to him. The BJP high command has not taken any decision”.

The party’s core group, which met in Delhi on Sunday, had authorised BJP president Nitin Gadkari to take a decision on Karnataka.

On Sunday, Yeddyurappa ruled out the possibility of resigning from office over the land scam issue, asserting that he had done nothing wrong.

Hurling a fresh charge against Yeddyurappa, former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy alleged that the latter’s family had sold Rs 20 crore worth of land and raised doubts about its ownership.

He also expressed doubts on whether the land sold by Yeddyurappa”s kin was owned by them or was it denotified in their favour. He sought clarifications from them.

“Is the land their hereditary property? Let them prove it”, Kumaraswamy said asking the BJP high command “does it have guts to sack Yeddyurappa? (ANI)