The Hindu : Front Page : Kumaraswamy picks up the gauntlet

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Sunday, Jun 19, 2011
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Kumaraswamy picks up the gauntlet

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The former Chief Minister and State Janata Dal (S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy has accepted Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's challenge to repeat the allegations against him before the Dharmasthala deity, Manjunatheshwara.

Mr. Kumaraswamy will be at the venue on June 27.

He had recently alleged that Mr. Yeddyurappa had been pressuring him for the past six months to “buy peace” and to stop him from exposing corruption cases that had tainted the Chief Minister's image. “The Chief Minister's aide Lehar Singh had spoken to me; I have call records,” Mr. Kumaraswamy had claimed.

Mr. Yeddyurappa, who is undergoing treatment at an ayurveda clinic in Kerala, rebutted the charges and attacked the JD(S) leader for “misleading people”.

The Chief Minister issued an advertisement in major dailies inviting Mr. Kumaraswamy to indicate the date and time to meet at Dharmasthala, and take an oath in front of Lord Manjunatheshwara. “If you have the courage to stick to your allegations in front of the Almighty, I will appreciate your courage. I am ever ready to take a pledge before God that all the allegations made by you are completely baseless,” Mr. Yeddyurappa said in an open letter to Mr. Kumaraswamy. Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, Ministers R. Ashok, B.N. Bache Gowda, V. Somanna, Murugesh R. Nirani and Chief Minister's political Secretary B.J. Puttaswamy defended the Chief Minister's unusual action in putting out the letter as an advertisement in several publications.

Mr. Yeddyurappa and his two sons would be present at Dharmasthala; Mr. Kumaraswamy should come there along with his family, the Ministers said. Mr. Ashok said neither the BJP nor the Chief Minister had held any conciliatory talks with Mr. Kumaraswamy.

On his part, Mr. Kumaraswamy said, “The advertisement speaks for itself on the misuse of public money by Mr. Yeddyurappa.”

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