Coming down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its claims about eradicating corruption, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M. Veerappa Moily on Sunday said the party had rather been encouraging corruption and dividing people on caste and communal lines.
Replying to questions about the change of Chief Minister in Karnataka, Mr. Moily told presspersons here that the BJP central leadership had succumbed to pressure by Lingayat strongman and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and decided to appoint Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar as Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda’s successor.
BJP leaders were never serious about ending graft, they indulged in double speak and practised hypocrisy, he charged.
Reasons sought
Mr. Moily sought to know the reasons for the removal of Mr. Gowda from the Chief Minister’s post when he was making an attempt to “cleanse the administration”.
“Who is benefiting from removing Mr. Gowda? What is the benefit for the people? What is the benefit for the State?” he sought to know. He opposed appointment of Chief Minister on caste lines.
By removing Mr. Gowda, the BJP central leadership was encouraging corruption, nepotism and maladministration in the State, he said. “The BJP national leadership has indirectly supported corrupt administration by appointing Mr. Yeddyurappa’s nominee for the Chief Minister’s post,” he said.
Noting that the BJP had been paying the price for “poaching” MLAs from other parties for its survival, Mr. Moily said no attempt had been made to provide people-friendly administration in the State during the last four years.
The Opposition Congress would galvanise its cadre and expose the “anti-farmer and anti-people” policies of the BJP government, the Union Minister said.
