Day after bribe bomb, Yatnal says he is ready to face disciplinary committee

VIJAYAPURA: A day after stirring a political row by saying that he was given the offer of being made Karnataka Chief Minister if he could cough up Rs 2,500 crore, senior BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Saturday said that he would reply to all the queries of the BJP disciplinary committee if they called him for an inquiry.

This comes after a section of BJP leaders in the state demanded disciplinary action against Yatnal. “If they serve me a notice this time, I will reply and also appear before the disciplinary committee, if the situation demands,” Yatnal, who is MLA for Vijayapura City, said. Yatnal claimed that BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel had made it clear that he had not targeted the party by his statement.

“It was a general statement. Rumours of the party taking disciplinary action against me is all a hype created by the media,” he fumed. He also claimed that his statement was twisted intentionally as a Cabinet rejig was around the corner. “Few people don’t want me to see in the cabinet because they are living in fear that if I become a minister I would bring bulldozers to sil enc e them, ” he added.

“Many people have approached me via WhatsApp claiming that they have a good bonding with PM Modi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda. They claimed that if I arrange the required money, they would refer my name for the CM’s post. I took them to task. I did not say the high command demanded money,” he added. Yatnal said KPCC president DK Shivakumar fears that his political career will end if he becomes the CM.