Not under BSY influence: CM

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday denied that he was being controlled by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.

“Nobody is controlling me. I am functioning independently. The reports that Yeddyurappa is doing back seat driving are  media creations,” said Shettar at a  programme organised by the Press Club of Bangalore here on Wednesday.

When his attention was drawn towards Yeddyurappa’s claim that he was responsible for farm loan waiver, Shettar said, “Everybody has right to give suggestions on the floor of Assembly. Yeddyurappa’s suggestion for farm loan waiver came at a time when farmers were facing hardship due to drought and the government accepted it. There is nothing wrong in it.”He refused to comment on BJP senior leader L K Advani’s writing in the blog.When asked if he was being made the scapegoat in the Yeddyurappa’s political game plan, Shettar sought to defer and said, “One should appreciate the fact that an ordinary party worker has become chief minister. I don’t understand why people are thinking that I am being made a scapegoat.”

On who would lead the party in the upcoming Assembly elections, Shettar said that it was a matter to be decided by the party and it would take a suitable decision before elections.