Embarrassed BJP attacks Congress over Yeddyurappa
October 16th, 2011 - 8:56 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Embarrassed after former Karnataka chief minister’s B.S. Yeddyurappa’s arrest, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying he had failed to similarly act against his tainted ministers.
Even as its leaders took the moral high ground that the BJP had asked Yeddyurappa to resign after the Lokayukta named him in the mining scandal in the state, BJP sources admitted his arrest was a blow as it came when BJP veteran L.K. Advani was on a much-publicized anti-corruption yatra.
Defending the party, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh said while the BJP made Yeddyurappa resign for corruption, Manmohan Singh was protecting his tainted colleagues.
“When the (party) started getting information that Yeddyurappa is involved in corruption, we said if any investigating agency gives any report about his involvement, he will have to resign from his post,” Rajnath Singh told a news channel.
Another party leader admitted the former chief minister’s arrest Sunday had only brought embarrassment to the party.
“The timing of Yeddyurappa’s arrest is bad and has caused embarrassment,” a BJP leader told IANS on condition of anonymity.
“But the fact remains he was asked to resign, and now a clean leader is leading the state government,” he said.
The leader adding that his arrest would not make much difference to Advani’s yatra which he said was drawing huge crowds.
Party general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad was more direct, accusing the Congress of protecting “corrupt leaders” like P. Chidambaram, A. Raja and Sheila Dikshit.
“Congress party’s hypocritical approach is too well known. It shamelessly saves Chidambaram; the prime minister gives a certificate of innocence to Raja, he is now in jail; Sheila Dikshit is being saved in the most brazen way after the CAG and Shunglu committee report,” Prasad, who is with the Advani yatra, told reporters near Bhopal.
Yeddyurappa surrendered before a Lokayukta court Saturday after arrest warrants were issued against him in two corruption cases — of illegally denotifying land (freeing from government control) in and around Bangalore in return for monetary gains.
Taken to jail, he was later admitted to hospital after he complained of chest pain.
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- Sadananda Gowda to be BJP's new Karnataka chief minister (Second Lead) - Aug 03, 2011
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Tags: advani yatra, bharatiya janata party, bjp leader, cag, committee report, congress party, corrupt leaders, investigating agency, karnataka chief minister, l k advani, lokayukta, manmohan, manmohan singh, moral high ground, party leader, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, ravi shankar, ravi shankar prasad, sheila dikshit