Bengaluru: Murugesh Nirani, a sugar baron and a former state minister, has reportedly gifted a state-of-the-art Toyota Land Cruiser Prado car to the new BJP state president and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.
The car is meant for BSY’s use during his immediate tour of the drought-affected areas, followed by a whirlwind tour around the state to rejuvenate the party ahead of the assembly elections in 2018.
It is a smaller-range, luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV), with advanced features. It can attain quick speed and can be controlled equally fast. It is said to have come with a price-tag of Rs 1 crore.
High fuel and engine efficiency, touchscreen audio display, bluetooth for mobile connectivity, start-button ignition system, seven anti-crash airbags, parking auto sensor, advance temperature control airconditioning system etc are its salient features.
However, sources close to Yeddyurappa said that it was not a gift but was only ‘loaned’ to him for the tour purposes. This damage control exercise was thought of specially in view of the racket that chief minister’s Hublot watch and his delay in declaring a gift.
Yeddyurappa, in his capacity as state president of the party, already has a Honda CRV at his disposal, but has preferred to use this Prado, which has now been fitted with a signboard on the front bumper, displaying his party post.
There are sore notes in the party circles here about the irony his using a high-end, one crore-worth car while touring the drought-affected areas where people do not even have basic drinking water facility and transport.
