Yeddyurappa says he appointed Reddys as ministers

Bangalore, May 28 (ANI): In the wake of a controversy over senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj's remarks about the Reddy brothers, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa asserting that no one exerted any influence on him, today said the decision to give ministerial berths to them was his own.

"No one influenced us to make the Reddys ministers. We took them in our own wisdom," said Yeddyurappa.

In an interview to Outlook magazine, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj had said: "I have no hand in the political making of Bellary brothers...I had nothing to do with making them ministers or building up their stature as political leaders...When the Bellary brothers were made ministers, Jaitleyji (Arun Jaitley) was the prabhari (in charge) and Yeddyurappa was CM. I was opposed to their appointment as ministers but they (Jaitley, Yeddyurappa, Ananth Kumar) had some political compulsions."

Swaraj's reported remarks are being seen by some as blaming BJP leader Arun Jaitley for the inclusion of the 'tainted' Reddy brothers, Janardhana and Karunakara, whose names had figured in a mining scandal. (ANI)