Mangalore: Letter did not Mention Demand to Reinstate Yeddyurappa - Nalin
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Dec 17: The information that Dakshina Kannada member of parliament, Nalin Kumar Kateel, was one among the signatories to the letter addressed to the BJP high command to reinstate former Chief Minister (CM), B S Yeddyurappa, as the state CM, in place of the present incumbent, D V Sadananda Gowda, had given rise to flutter in the district BJP camp.
This is because, Nalin represents the constituency which earlier was held by the present CM, and the CM, who hails from the district, now represents the neighbouring Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency.
However, Nalin denies the information. He clarified that he was approached by a group of MPs and Yeddyurappa, who were discussing certain issues at the central hall of the parliament, to sign the letter in question. “The letter told the party high command to note that Yeddyurappa happens to be our leader, and that he should be given a suitable and respectable position in the party. If there was mention of his being made the CM, I would not have signed it,” Kateel added.
He said that Yeddyurappa had come to New Delhi to convince the central leaders about the backgrounds of cases pending against him in court, and that the issue of signing of a letter in his support had emerged during the discussion between MPs at the central hall. He confirmed that Yeddyurappa had not spoken about his desire to displace Sadananda Gowda, and had instead, spoken about securing a victory for Goowda in the December 22 council bypoll.
He clarified that the other two MPs, Prahlad Joshi and Anant Kumar, would have also signed the letter, but for the fact that they were not present on the occasion.