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BJP rift: Sushma accuses Jaitley of backing Reddys

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has denied being the political mentor of the controversial Reddy brothers of Bellary, saying that the mining magnets facing serious charges owe their political profile to her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley, Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and other party colleagues. "There cannot be a bigger lie. Let me tell you the truth, I have no hand in the political making of Bellary brothers. I had nothing to do in making them ministers or building up their stature as political leaders. When the Bellary brothers were made ministers, Jaitleyji was the prabhari (in charge) and Yeddyurappa was chief minister. Venkaiahji and Ananth Kumar were there as senior leaders. Whatever discussions happened, happened between these people. I had nothing to do with it," Swaraj told a weekly. Besides reinforcing the perception of a cold war between her and Jaitley, Swaraj's allegation can re-ignite the simmering tensions among BJP leaders. Swaraj and Jaitley have frequently been seen as being at loggerheads and rivals in the race for who gets projected as BJP's prime ministerial choice in the 2014 elections. Indeed, in the interview, the Leader of Opposition talked of infighting in the BJP even as she fought shy of admitting it clearly. "I do not want to believe there are people in the party who are against me," Swaraj said but added, "There are people who are jealous of you. People who cannot see you growing." Congress is likely to be more than pleased with Swaraj's remarks as they will move attention away from Congress's troubles over the 2G and Commonwealth Games scams. Swaraj has been considered close to Reddy brothers Janardan, Karunakar and Somashekhar since 1999 when she contested from their stronghold of Bellary against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections. For their part, the mining magnates have consistently proclaimed her to be their patron, calling her 'Taayi' -- mother in Kannada. However, Swaraj trashed the perception of her proximity to the Reddys who helped BJP organize a majority after the last elections in Karnataka. "My total interaction with Reddy brothers is limited to one day in the year when I go to Bellary for puja of Varamahalaxmi... For the remaining 364 days, we have no conversations or communication," she said.

                                                                                                               
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