Yogeshwar row: Congress sees red over leaked audio clip

“I would like to congratulate Yogeshwar on another thing. He has admitted their loss. He is saying that it is not possible for them to come to power in the state. Even Amit Shah said this, even going so far as to moot carrying out an ‘Operation Kamala’ before the elections as opposed to after it”

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The State Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP government over BJP MLC CP Yogeshwar’s alleged comment that the saffron party would come to power after the Assembly elections with or without the people’s mandate. A leaked audio clip from a phone call allegedly featuring the voice of former minister Yogeshwar is heard saying that the BJP could come to power even if it did not win the people’s mandate.

“The BJP will form the government, even if the people’s mandate isn’t there. A (ripe) mango fruit can be plucked from a tree. However, it can also be ripened chemically,” the voice said. He is also heard saying that Congress veteran KH Muniyappa, who is a multiple time MP and a former minister was willing to join BJP but wasn’t being accepted, adding that there would be “developments” after Sankranti.

Yogeshwar is alleged to have played a key role in engineering defections from Congress and JD(S) back in 2019 in what came to be known as Operation Kamala. It had led to the toppling of the Kumaraswamy-led coalition government and brought BJP to power in the state. Yogeshwar has denied being the person in the clip and has called it a “ploy” by his enemies. Congress leader and former MP VS Ugrappa said that the comment was “shocking”.

“Mr Yogeshwar’s audio has been doing the rounds on social media. There are two main ideas expressed in the audio. Firstly, it says the former national president of the BJP and the present Union Home Minister Amit Shah is prone to rowdyism. was shocked to hear this,” he said.

“I would like to congratulate Yogeshwar on another thing. He has admitted their loss. He is saying that it is not possible for them to come to power in the state. Even Amit Shah said this, even going so far as to moot carrying out an ‘Operation Kamala’ before the elections as opposed to after it,” he added, calling it undermining of democratic norms.

‘Let CBI probe Yatnal claims’ Ugrappa and former minister HM Revanna called upon the State government to let CBI probe BJP MLA Basangouda Yatnal’s claims of having been approached by “agents” offering to make him chief minister for a sum of Rs 2,000 crore. Ugrappa also mocked Yatnal for indirectly calling Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani a p..., to which the latter replied he would “cut out” Yatnal’s tongue. Ugrappa termed Nirani’s comment a criminal offence.