Chief Minister Siddaramaiah favouring Mysuru for IIT: BS Yeddyurappa

KALABURAGI: Senior BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa on Saturday accused Chief  Minister Siddaramaiah of playing “mischief” on the issue of locating the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

“I am for establishing the IIT at Raichur. Hence, I was part of the delegation which met Union HRD Minister Smita Irani and demanded IIT for Raichur. The Chief Minister has stalled the process of setting up the IIT by proposing multiple names. If only Raichur was recommended, by now the centre would have commenced the process of establishing it. When the issue of setting up the Central University came up, I recommended only Kalaburagi.

“Immediately, Mr Siddaramaiah should withdraw names of two other places, and recommend only Raichur,” he told the media here. When pointed out that his party leaders, Jagadish Shettar and Prahlad Joshi, had demanded that the IIT be established in Dharwad, Mr Yeddyurappa reasoned that as elected representatives of Hubli-Dharwad, they would have done it. “But my party is for locating the IIT at Raichur,” he added.

While concurring with the view of a reporter that Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa was playing the role ought to be played by the BJP as the principal Opposition, Mr Yeddyurappa remarked that his party would extend all support to him in case he decides to quit the Congress.

Asked whether he was interested in returning to state politics, Mr Yeddyurappa said as his first love was for  state politics, and he would continue to play that role. “Even though I am a Member of Lok Sabha I continue to fight for issues concerning the state,” he added.