In a fresh development in poll-bound Karnataka, the High Court on Thursdayissued notices to the top brass of the state Congress leadership, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, over their remarks against Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial aspirant BS Yeddyurappa.
The HC notices came after Yeddyurappa approach the court over the “derogatory comments” made by his rivals – Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara, Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao and the CM’s legal advisor Brijesh Kalappa, among others.
Notices were also sent to the Press Council of India and Broadcasting Council of India over publishing the same.
“This court is of the opinion that it is appropriate to make PCI and the regulatory body of private TV channels as parties. Admittedly, there is a larger issue,” Justice G Narendar said.
The former CM had approached the HC after a lower court refused an injunction.
Reacting to this, Brijesh Kalappa told TNM, “According to me, the High Court ought not to have issued notices and asked for an explanation at all, because this is part of political talk. But now that the HC had issued notices, we will enter an appearance in the HC.”
“But to clarify Mr Yeddyurappa has indeed gone to jail. So what's the issue on that? Trying to bamboozle the Opposition is BJP's old strategy and the BJP faced its first order while trying to bamboozle the press in the case involving Mr Jay Shah,” he added.
With the battle for the Vidhana Soudha fast approaching, the mudslinging between the BJP and Congress has gone up several notches.
Yeddyurappa has taken exception to the word “jailbird” often used by Congress leaders to describe the Lingayat strongman on their social media accounts.
According to his partymen, the usage of the term is incorrect as the courts have already settled the matter.
The BJP has, time and again, tried to corner the ruling Congress by calling the current Siddaramaiah-led government a 10% government, suggesting kickbacks and financial irregularities.
Similarly, the Congress has been invoking Yeddyurappa’s indictment in the illegal mining case, which led to his resignation as a CM and his prison stint in the land notification case.