Rajnath takes Reddy blame on himself

With Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Sushma Reddy shifting the responsibility of backing the controversial Reddy brothers of Karnataka politics to her party colleague Arun Jaitley, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh on Saturday took the blame on himself.

“There is no need for controversy. It was me who asked Arun Jaitley to oversee Karnataka. The decision taken on Reddys came only after consultations with local Karnataka leaders,? Singh said at Karnataka?s Hubli city on Saturday.

“The decision was only taken after my consent. I do not accept holding Sushma Swaraj or Arun Jaitley responsible. Everything happened with my consent as I was the national president at that time. If anybody wants they can hold me responsible for this and not Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.

?There were some political compulsions due to which we had to take this decision and also BJP was coming to power in the south for the first time,” Singh said.

Swaraj, who has been accused of mentoring the illegal mining tainted Reddy brothers of Bellary- Karnataka ministers Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy- told Outlook magazine in an interview: “There cannot be a bigger lie. Let me tell you the truth, I have no hand in the political making of Bellary brothers.”

“I had nothing to do in making them ministers or building up their stature as political leaders. When the Bellary brothers were made ministers, Jaitleyji was the prabhari (in charge) and Yeddyurappa was chief minister. Venkaiahji and Ananth Kumar were there as senior leaders. Whatever discussions happened, happened between these people. I had nothing to do with it,” Swaraj said.

“My total interaction with Reddy brothers is limited to one day in the year when I go to Bellary for puja of Varamahalaxmi… For the remaining 364 days, we have no conversations or communication,” she said.

She went on to say that she was “opposed to their appointment as ministers, opposed to three members of a family being made ministers.”

“But they [Jaitley, Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar)] had some political compulsions which made them appoint the brothers,” she said.

The controversial interview of Swaraj came at a time when the Karnataka government led by BS Yeddyurappa is battling corruption charges and a running battle with the state governor HR Bhardwaj.

Meanwhile, according to a report in CNN IBN, Yeddyurappa on Saturday said the decision to have the Reddy brothers and close associate Sriramulu in the cabinet was his own and not of Sushma Swaraj.

The Reddy brothers of Karnataka have been accused of running an illegal mining empire in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC), in its report to the Supreme Court, has ruled that the mining lease of Reddys? Obalapuram mine in Andhra?s Anantapur district, bordering Bellary in Karnataka, should be cancelled.

The report states that the Reddys have been mining in areas demarcated as forest land in 2004 ?with the connivance of Andhra Pradesh government officials?.

The Reddy brothers are important ministers in the BJP government in Karnataka.