BK Hariprasad Remarks: Senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad’s statements regarding ministerial and chief ministerial posts as well as indirect jibes at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have created an uneasy situation within the ruling party in Karnataka.
He was addressing a meeting of Ediga, Bilwa, Namdhari and Diwara communities on Friday (July 21). Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Hariprasad is said to be upset for not being included in the Karnataka cabinet.
The Chief Minister did not comment on Hariprasad’s statements, but some of his cabinet colleagues were seen refraining from commenting on this. Hariprasad said, “The community should be aware. Whether I become a minister or not is a different question. I have already played a role in making five chief ministers in this country, be it Puducherry or Goa. I have done this alone in Jharkhand. In Haryana and Punjab, I have done this with the AICC team.
‘Neither will I bow down, nor will I spread my hands’
Addressing the meeting, he took credit for making backward class leader Bhupesh Baghel the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. The senior Congress leader said, “That’s why I know very well how to make someone the chief minister or how to remove someone from the post.” Neither will I bow down, nor will I spread my hands. Doing politics in Bangalore for 49 years is not a child’s play.
During the cabinet formation in May, there were reports that Hariprasad had lost the ministerial berth after the chief minister strongly opposed his inclusion. Hariprasad, who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah both belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and belong to the Ediga and Kuruba communities, respectively.
Hariprasad claimed that he had asked Siddaramaiah to provide Rs five crore for the ‘Koti Chennaiyya Theme Park’ at Karkala in Udupi district. To which he (Siddaramaiah) gave a positive response, but later nothing was found.
50 lakhs were given under the MPLAD scheme
Hariprasad said that he had given Rs 50 lakh under the MPLAD scheme with the intention of setting up a ‘gurupeeth’ in Bangalore University, but the building is still under construction. Financial help was assured in that too, but not a single penny was received.
When asked about the Congress leader’s statement, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said hesitantly, “I don’t know in what context he has spoken. Sometimes leaders express personal opinion.” Planning and Statistics Minister D. Sudhakar said, “He (Hariprasad) is a senior leader… there is no dissent in the party. He may have expressed a personal opinion.
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