Thaindian News

Bangalore, May 3 (IANS) Karnataka’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has directed its ministers to ensure that their kin do not interfere in their official work, a minister said Tuesday.

“Our party president (state BJP chief) K.S. Eshwarappa advised all ministers at a meeting yesterday (Monday) not to allow their kin to interfere in the work of their ministries and departments,” Animal Husbandry Minister Revu Naik Belamagi told reporters here.

Belamagi came under attack last week following reports that his son was interfering in the animal husbandry department work and had also threatened some officials.

However, Belamagi termed the reports “baseless”. He also denied that he had been pulled up by the party leaders over the incident at Monday’s meeting here.

The meeting with all ministers was called by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to spruce up the image of his government which has been mired in corruption charges.

Yeddyurappa completes three years in office May 25.

Ahead of the third anniversary of the first BJP government in the state, opposition Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) have planned various programmes to highlight corruption and scandals surrounding Yeddyurappa himself and some of his ministers.

The JD-S is planning rallies at several places in the state from May 5, while Congress has announced it will meet Governor H.R. Bhardwaj May 9 to urge him take action against the government for corruption and other charges.

The JD-S wants to make its rallies “apolitical”. Its president and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda told reporters Tuesday that “writers and intellectuals will lead the agitation and I will be a follower”.

State Congress president G. Parameshwara said the party will submit a memorandum to Bhardwaj on Yeddyurappa’s failure to check corruption and illegal mining in Karnataka and urge him to act on it.