Yeddyurappa, called to Delhi to explain the charges levelled against him by Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy who had claimed that donations to the trust were actually kickbacks for favours done, was learnt to have told the party leaders that the trust “never misused the donations collected from private persons and firms”.
The leaders questioned him as well as Karnataka BJP president K S Eshwarappa because of differences between them over the appointment of the Mysore Urban Development Authority chairman.
Speaking to reporters after being cleared by the BJP leadership, Yeddyurappa denied he was summoned by the party bosses to discuss the allegations. But sources said the leadership was not quite happy that fresh corruption charges had been levelled against him.
Kumaraswamy had charged that the Prerana Education and Social Trust formed by Yeddyurapp’s son B Y Raghavendra received donations of Rs 27.18 crore from private companies over the last two years for getting favours from the government. He released the documents on a day when the BJP central leadership was to meet to prepare a plan to intensify their fight against the Centre over the issue of corruption.
The BJP leadership, already embarrassed by a series of corruption charges against the chief minister, was said to have taken the fresh allegation seriously.
Yeddyurappa, who met Gadkari on Thursday, clarified that “like other education institutions, we are also accepting donations from various donors and these donations are exempt under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. All donations are used for the betterment of the students and the trust has not misused any funds”.