Bengaluru: After the Congress party leveled charges of corruption against the kin of Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa, Twitter users on Wednesday sought the resignation of the Chief Minister. Congress also led a campaign on the micro-blogging site with hashtag #BSY_Must_Resign.

The campaign soon caught pace and grossed nearly 10,000 tweets in a short period of time. The hashtag was also among the top three trending hashtags in Karnataka.

Earlier, in a press release, the Congress party had alleged that the son-in-law and son of Yediyurappa were “caught red-handed” asking for bribing in a project of construction of apartments by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). It had added that the revelation had “bewildered, shocked and appalled everyone”.

KPCC President DK Shivakumar in a tweet “CM Yediyurappa & his family have been caught taking a bribe in an alleged ₹666 crore BDA construction project scam.” He also called for a probe by a sitting SC Judge or by the CJ of Karnataka HC.

The official handle of the Indian National Congress added that the democratic functioning of the Karnataka government is under a serious threat.

“Karnataka is fast becoming a combination of the two under the Yeddyurappa Govt,” AICC General Secretary Randeep Surjewala wrote on Twitter.

In the campaign, Congress leaders also noted that there were call recordings and WhatsApp chats clearly showing that CM, his son, grandson, and son-in-law were actively involved in corruption and bribery in the project. It was also alleged that the bribe was transferred via 7 shell companies in the bank.

Adding that Karnataka had turned into a ‘Gunda Raj’ users also said that it was “Vijayendra Service Tax” that the CM and his family were collecting for working in Karnataka. The hashtag #VijayendraServiceTax was also among those trending in the state.

Here are some of the tweets from Thursday's Twitter campaign against the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.

NOTE: The claims made in the tweets embedded below or the ideas presented in them are those solely of the users. Vartha Bharati does not guarantee the authenticity of any of the claims or does not necessarily endorse, support the ideas, views posted by any of the users.

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LONDON/MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has acquired the sword of Raghuji Bhosale, founder of the Nagpur Bhosale dynasty and a distinguished commander in the Maratha army under Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, after winning it in an auction in London.

Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar formally took possession of the weapon on Monday. It is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on 18 August, where it will be received with ceremonial honours, as reported by The Indian Express.

News of the sword’s availability surfaced on 28 April this year. Minister Shelar consulted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after which the government began preparations to participate in the auction.

A group of Marathi-speaking residents in London gathered to witness the handover. Hemant Dalvi, Deputy Director of the Archaeology Department, accompanied the minister during the formalities.

The sword is an 18th-century Maratha Firangi. It has a straight, single-edged European blade with a gold-inlaid Mulheri hilt and near the hilt is the European manufacturer’s name, while the spine bears a gold-inlaid Devanagari inscription reading “Shreemant Raghoji Bhosale Senasahib Subha Firang,” confirming its connection to Raghuji Bhosale. The hilt’s gold koftgari work and the green cloth-wrapped rounded pommel add to its rarity as Maratha weapons of the period typically lacked elaborate ornamentation or inscriptions.

Raghuji Bhosale I, ruled from Nagpur between 1695 and 1755. He expanded Maratha influence into Bengal, Odisha, Chanda, Chhattisgarh, Sambalpur and parts of southern India. His military campaigns, included victories over the Nawabs of Bengal, Cuddapah and Kurnool. The Nagpur kingdom was also known for its rich deposits of iron and copper, used for weapons and trade.

While few historians believe that the sword left India in the early 19th century, as part of the war booty taken by the British East India Company after their victory over the Bhosales at the Battle of Sitabuldi in 1817, others say it was taken later as a diplomatic gift.

The sword will be escorted from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to PL Deshpande Kala Academy in Dadar by a ceremonial bike rally upon its arrival in Mumbai next week. A cultural programme titled Gad Garjana will be held the same day in the presence of state dignitaries.

Minister Shelar described the acquisition as an important moment for Maharashtra’s heritage and extended his thanks to the Chief Minister, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar for their support in securing the artefact.