Just as eyebrows were raised over the meeting between Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Monday morning, it turned out that the politics over Mysore Sugar factory (Mysugar) had reached the Chief Minister’s doorstep.
While earlier meetings between the two leaders had led to speculation over political developments in the State, Monday’s meeting pertained to the reviving of Mysugar and the politics around it, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said. The revival of Mysugar is heating up after the privatisation of Pandavapura Sugar Mills in Mandya district ran into rough weather, sources said.
The meeting also came close on the heels of Tourism Minister C.P. Yogeshwar, who has been critical of the two leaders cosying up in the recent months, on Sunday alleging in Mysuru that there has been adjustment in politics that is hurting several BJP leaders, including him. Also, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has accused Opposition leaders of being hand in glove with the Chief Minister.
While Mr. Kumaraswamy, who was accompanied by legislators from Mandya, is opposed to transferring the sugar factory to private hands, he also indicated that the Mandya MP, Sumalatha, has favoured privatisation. “There are efforts to privatise the factory. The Chief Minister has assured me that it will not be handed over to private control,” he told reporters.
He also termed Mr. Yogeshwar’s statement on reservation in taluk and zilla panchayats childish and said that he should know that reservation is done by the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, Ms. Sumalatha, who also met the Chief Minister after Mr. Kumaraswamy, clarified that she was open to any model of revival. “I only want the factory to restart. I am not part of the government to say how it should be restarted. Any model that will enable reviving the factory would be good,” she said.
She said that sugar factory officials themselves had indicated that the government cannot implement the revival of the factory. “What did he [Mr. Kumaraswamy] do to revive the factory when he was in power?” she asked.
