H D Kumaraswamy.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Senior JD(S) leader and Narendra Modi's cabinet member H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said that his party would not be part of the protest the BJP has planned against the alleged MUDA scam, where the party members plan to undertake a 'padayatra' from Bengaluru to Mysuru.
Lashing out at its NDA partner, Kumaraswamy said the BJP has taken this unilateral decision without consulting them.
Leaders of the opposition BJP had said that the party and JD(S) have decided to hold the foot march from Bengaluru to Mysuru from August 3 to 10 in protest against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including to Chief Minister's wife Parvathi, and demanding his resignation.
HDK added that after massive losses in the Karnataka floods, such a political rally may irk commoners.
"If we hold such rallies, people will criticise us. When several villages (are) submerged due to flood mostly in North Karnataka and coastal Karnataka, we should focus on their rescue and relief operations," the former chief minister said.
"What is [BJP] going to achieve from this rally? Instead, we should go [by] legal course of action against the CM in MUDA scam," Kumaraswamy further noted.
He was also upset with the presence of Hassan BJP leader and ex MLA Pretham Gowda in the joint meeting held at Bengaluru last week.
"Who is that Preetham Gowda ? Preetham Gowda ventured to finish off the family of Deve Gowda. They (BJP) call a meeting with him (Preetham Gowda to discuss preparations for the march) and ask me to sit next to him...the person who put poison to my family.. Who is responsible for the distribution of pen-drives? There is a limit to my tolerance. Are they seeking support for this ? Do they not know what happened in Hassan ? Who is responsible ?" a visibly angry Kumaraswamy asked. He was referring to large-scale distribution of pen-drives, allegedly containing explicit videos involving his nephew Prajwal Revanna, ahead of the recent Lok Sabha elections in Hassan.
(With PTI inputs)