After HD Deve Gowda's protest threat, BS Yediyurappa shunts cop out

BENGALURU/YADGIR: In what is being perceived as a softening of stand against the JD(S), chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday transferred Yadgir police sub-inspector Bapugouda Patil, who was accused of harassing a leader of the party.

On Tuesday, former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda had threatened to protest in front of the CM’s residence if he did not take action against Patil.

Gowda accused Patil of manhandling JD(S) youth wing leader Sharanagouda Kandakur after he led a protest in Yadgir last month during Yediyurappa’s visit there.

“The police inspector has been transferred and he has been ordered to go on leave,” Yediyurappa said on Wednesday. “As it was a former PM who complained, I took immediate action.”

Sharanagouda is the son of Gurmitkal MLA Naganagouda Kandakur. He vaulted into the limelight in February this year when he leaked a purported audio clip of Yediyurappa — then the leader of the opposition — attempting to convince him to quit the JD(S) and support the BJP.

The police had registered an FIR against Yediyurappa and three others. Then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who released the tape to prove the BJP was attempting to poach MLAs, had promised to form a special investigation team to investigate the tape, but the idea was eventually dropped.

Following the audio leak, Sharanagouda, who was made president of the JD(S) youth wing, had alleged he was being targeted by the BJP government for his role in the audio leak.

Yediyurappa’s decision to transfer the SI comes in the wake of Kumaraswamy indicating that the JD(S) will support the BJP to prevent midterm polls in Karnataka .

Yediyurappa denied reports that Gowda had called him to discuss a possible alliance, should the ruling party fail to win the eight seats it requires in the bypolls to stay in power.

“There is no truth in this,” Yediyurappa said. “Deve Gowda, as a former Prime Minister, has the capacity to decide what is right and wrong. I have never mentioned his name anywhere and will never do it.” Gowda had denied the alleged conversation on Tuesday, declaring it “far from the truth”.