Kumaraswamy accuses top BJP leadership of backing Yeddyurappa

BANGALORE - Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of backing Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, who is facing charges of corruption and nepotism.

Voicing his anguish over the issue, Kumaraswamy told reporters how the BJP led by its senior leader Lal Krishna Advani led a delegation to President Pratibha Patil in support of the Yeddyurappa, against whom Governor H.R. Bhardwaj had given sanction for prosecution for his alleged involvement in a land scam.

“He (Yeddyurappa) will not step down. How is he going to step down? Shamelessly he is continuing. Shamelessly his high command, the so-called great leader Advani to protect Yeddyurappa’s mistakes went before honourable President and the entire high command is on the foot of Yeddyurappa,” said Kumarswamy.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda observed that the BJP wants to divide the nation with its own agenda, and lashed out the party for its plans to hoist the national flag at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Republic Day.

“BJP is a party known for its own evil desires and its own-programmed policy is going to divide the nation. What is that Tiranga (Indian tricolour) issue which they have taken now? Is it to divide the nation and If not then what for?” he said.A delegation of senior BJP leaders had met President Patil on January 24 with a plea to recall of Governor H. R. Bhardwaj by saying that he acted in an unconstitutional manner.

The BJP has accused Bhardwaj of acting as a Central Government agent in sanctioning the prosecution of Yeddyurappa and others for their role in the land scam case.

Yeddyurappa has been accused of misusing his post and involved corruption for allotting state-owned land plots to his kith and kin. (ANI)