Yeddyurappa offers prayers but skips truth testification
08:51AM Mon 27 Jun, 2011
Bangalore - 27 June 2011: Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa offered prayers at the temple of Lord Manjunatha here but did not undergo a "truth testification" before the deity, a challenge he had thrown to JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy but later retracted.
Yeddyurappa had said that he dropped the idea on the advice of religious leaders and BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari had advised Yeddyurappa that it was "not appropriate to use religious places, especially temples, for politics" and drop his temple face-off with Kumaraswamy on the issue of an alleged compromise bid by the Karnataka chief minister.
Yeddyurappa had boldly challenged Kumaraswamy to prove the allegations of corruption and nepotism against him by taking the truth test before a deity.
Kumaraswamy had also alleged that Yeddyurappa had sought to buy his silence by offering inducements in terms of money and future coalition, among others.
Yeddyurappa had later said he had dropped the idea of the truth test on the advice of religious leaders and BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
"Swamijis of Taralabalu, Suttur, Pejavar and Nitin Gadkari prevailed upon me to call off the oath taking programme," Yeddyurappa told reporters here today.
After offering prayers at the temple, he said, "I did not ask anything for myself. On behalf of six crore people of the state I sought blessings of Lord Manjunatha for the prosperity of Karnataka."
He said he had prayed for copious rains and prosperity of the state. "In the last three years, the state has been witnessing bountiful rains and prosperity with the blessings of gods. I want this to continue for another two years," the chief minister said.
Yeddyurappa had said that he dropped the idea on the advice of religious leaders and BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari had advised Yeddyurappa that it was "not appropriate to use religious places, especially temples, for politics" and drop his temple face-off with Kumaraswamy on the issue of an alleged compromise bid by the Karnataka chief minister.
Yeddyurappa had boldly challenged Kumaraswamy to prove the allegations of corruption and nepotism against him by taking the truth test before a deity.
Kumaraswamy had also alleged that Yeddyurappa had sought to buy his silence by offering inducements in terms of money and future coalition, among others.
Yeddyurappa had later said he had dropped the idea of the truth test on the advice of religious leaders and BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
"Swamijis of Taralabalu, Suttur, Pejavar and Nitin Gadkari prevailed upon me to call off the oath taking programme," Yeddyurappa told reporters here today.
After offering prayers at the temple, he said, "I did not ask anything for myself. On behalf of six crore people of the state I sought blessings of Lord Manjunatha for the prosperity of Karnataka."
He said he had prayed for copious rains and prosperity of the state. "In the last three years, the state has been witnessing bountiful rains and prosperity with the blessings of gods. I want this to continue for another two years," the chief minister said.
source: TOI
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