Siddaramaiah refutes Yediyurappa's allegation of twisting statement

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday refuted the allegation levelled by current Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa that Congress had twisted the latter’s statement in a viral video. In the video, the Karnataka CM was allegedly heard saying that that the decision of the 17 Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress MLAs to resign was taken by the central leadership of the BJP and that the party workers should honour their "sacrifice". The resignation of these MLAs led to the fall of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government in July. 

Read: Karnataka: Siddaramaiah Holds Meeting After DK Shivakumar's Roadshow

Siddaramaiah optimistic about Congress chances 

Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said that Yediyurappa had made the contentious remarks in a BJP core committee meeting for choosing the candidates for the upcoming by-elections. The Congress leader also voiced his confidence in his party’s prospects in the bypolls. He opined that Congress would win 12-13 out of the total 15 seats which are set to go to polls on December 5.  

"Were we present in the core committee meeting of the BJP? Were any of our leaders present in their meeting? This was a core committee meeting for selecting their candidates for the upcoming polls,” Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying.  

Read: SC To Hear Congress Plea On Alleged 'Operation Kamala' Tape On Tuesday

Supreme Court hears plea 

On Monday, during the hearing of the case of the 17 disqualified MLAs, the Karnataka Congress requested the SC to take on record the purported audio clip featuring Yediyurappa. However, the SC bench headed by Justice Ramanna questioned the relevance of the clip by observing that the court was already considering similar issues. While stating that the clip had been brought to the notice of the bench, he declined to issue a notice to the Karnataka CM.  

Read: Congress Says It Will Try To Convice Marandi To Stay In

Karnataka bypolls 

Earlier, the Election Commission of India had scheduled the bypolls on October 21. However, as the rebel JD(S) and Congress MLAs approached the Supreme Court (SC) challenging their disqualification, the ECI deferred the by-elections. The results of these elections, which will be declared on December 9 can potentially affect the stability of BJP’s government in Karnataka. 

(With ANI inputs)

Read: Congress Won't Have Been This Bad Had Priyanka Led Party: Rahul's Aide