JD(S) MLA for Belur K.S. Lingesh had also agreed to resign as MLA and join the BJP initially, but changed his mind later, claimed newly appointed Minister B.C. Patil on Sunday.
At Taralabalu Hunnime programme at Halebidu on Sunday, Mr. Patil said Mr. Lingesh was also approached to join the group of MLAs who resigned to join the BJP. “Initially, he [Mr. Lingesh] said okay, but later he changed his mind. If he had come with us then, by now all the tanks in his constituency would have been filled up,” he said.
The Minister said he had invited Mr. Lingesh to quit the JD(S) and join the BJP to ensure a strong government under the leadership of B.S. Yediyurappa.
“After 16 MLAs and I resigned, we were disqualified. The media called us disqualified MLAs repeatedly. However, what I could not do for my constituency as an MLA, was fulfilled by Mr. Yediyurappa within 100 days. He has sanctioned a project to fill 90 tanks in my constituency. Similarly, Belur too would have been developed had Mr. Lingesh joined us,” he said.
Shivamurthy Shivacharya Swamy of Sirigere Taralabalu Mutt, Mr. Yediyurappa, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Lok Sabha member G.M. Siddeshwara, Mr. Lingesh, and Preetham Gowda, MLA, were present.