New BJP ministry has ministers with tainted record: Governor

Firing a first salvo against the one-day old Jagadish Shettar-led BJP Government, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj today said some ministers with 'tainted record' had been inducted into it ignoring his advice.

"There should have been an effort to clean up the administration which has not happened. There are still some people in the government who have tainted record, one who have court cases," he told reporters responding to a query.

"I told them to keep out some names who were facing court cases. They (BJP leaders) said they will look into it, but they said their high command has decided the list," said Bhardwaj who had spared the previous Sadananda Gowda Government of any criticism in open.

Bhardwaj, who had a running battle with the B S Yeddyurappa Government on various issues including corruption, however, said "Shettar is a lawyer and generally spoken of well in Karnataka. There are no allegations against him too."

The Governor, against whom the Yeddyurappa Government had launched a campaign accusing him of trying to topple his government and seeking his recall, said he hoped the Shettar Government would be stable.

Heaping praises on Sadananda Gowda, who fell a victim to factional war triggered by Yeddyurappa, Bhardwaj said "I wasn't happy when he was asked to resign." Bhardwaj, a former union law minister, said there was no doubt that administration under Gowda was improving. "He was slowly and steadily going towards clean administration. The BJP wanted a leadership change and it was a party matter and as a Governor I had to oblige," he said.

He said the country cannot afford to have tainted people in the ministry, but he cannot really stop it from happening.

"I can always guide, advise and suggest, but ultimately the governance is their's. So whatever list they sent me in writing, I approved," he said.