The Congress today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of getting B S Yeddyurappa's name "cleared" in corruption cases through the CBI and said the 'Yeddy-Reddy' combine was seeking to return to power to "loot" and "plunder" the state.
Shukla asked whether the prime minister and BJP President Amit Shah would explain "this sinister conspiracy to put a lid on 'loot of public money' and 'plundering of natural resources', as also the reason for giving 8 BJP tickets to 'Reddy Brothers and associates'?".
"The BJP has no moral right to talk about corruption as its chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa is facing all kinds of charges and whom the party had ousted a few years ago on corruption charges," he told reporters.
"The Yeddy-Reddy gang is back in Karnataka politics -- thanks to top leadership of the BJP. They want to rule Karnataka again and they want to plunder the most valuable assets of the state of Karnataka.
"So, I want to appeal to the people of Karnataka that they should be wary of the Yeddy-Reddy gang. They are back at the helm of the affairs. They want to loot Karnataka again and they should not go by what the PM and BJP leaders are saying in their Karnataka campaign," Shukla said.
He pointed out that Yeddyurappa had been sent to jail, formed his own political party, and later when the BJP did not find anyone to project as its chief ministerial candidate, it brought him back.
"So, how can they talk about corruption? Look at the cheek of the BJP leadership," he said.
Shukla alleged that the BJP was trying to close cases against Yeddyuruppa and invoked the report, submitted by Justice Santosh Hegde, who was the Lokayukta earlier.
He submitted a special report against Yedddyurappa and that report is being ignored by the central government, the former Union minister claimed.
"One after another clean chits are being given which is completely condemnable and we do not approve that. That is why Karnataka Government has decided to institute a further probe against him and SIT has been constituted," Shukla said.
The Congress leader also alleged that the "Modi-Amit Shah game of shielding Yeddy-Reddy" stands exposed.
The CBI was attempting to rescue the "scam-tainted" duo in the Rs 35,000 crore iron-ore mining scam', Shukla alleged.
He said the Congress government in Karnataka had preempted the CBI "manufactured clean chit" to the Reddy brothers and Yeddyurappa by refusing to accept the closure by the CBI on March 19, 2018, and ordered a special and intensified probe through an SIT on March 21.
"One of the 'Biggest Iron-Ore Mining Scam' was unearthed by the Report dated July 27, 2011 of then Lokayukta, Justice Santosh Hegde which led to exposing of the unholy nexus of 'Yeddy-Reddy Gang' and finally the removal of BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in August 2011. No wonder that nicknames of B S Yeddyurappa and the infamous Reddy brothers are 'Jail Birds'!
"Shockingly, Modi government has now become the 'benefactor, protector, defender' of the 'Bellary gang' responsible for denuding Kannadigas of their rich natural resources through a 'puppet CBI'," Shukla alleged.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)