Channapatna/Ramanagara: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy claimed that the arrangement for CP Yogeshwar to join the Congress party was already set during the time of the Lok Sabha elections.
Campaigning in the Bevuru Mandya village of the Channapatna constituency, Kumaraswamy said, “Yogeshwar was with us during the Lok Sabha elections only in name; mentally, he was already with the Congress. He deceived both JDS and the BJP leaders.”
Kumaraswamy further explained, “Initially, Yogeshwar claimed he was willing to contest from any party, under any symbol—be it JDS or BJP. He even told the media as much. Later, we asked him to contest as a JDS candidate. BJP national president JP Nadda told him to contest from his own party, and we respected that advice. But then, Yogeshwar changed his stance suddenly,” Kumaraswamy said.
“In the end, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, along with several other leaders, insisted that he should contest as a BJP candidate. Even Dr. C N Manjunath came forward and advised him to contest under the BJP ticket. However, Yogeshwar, who had already struck a deal, abandoned this and swiftly jumped to the Congress”, Kumaraswamy concluded.
