The sooner BSY govt goes, the better: Congress

Alleging that the "engine" of the B S Yediyurappa government has not even got started, the Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday said the sooner the present regime goes, the better it is for the state.

The party has decided to hold a day-long protest on Thursday against the "failures" of the state and central government in handling the flood situation. "I'm not sure whether there will be mid-term election or not, but if such a government continues, it will not be good for the state. The government that is irresponsible, selfish and corrupt is not good for the state.

The soon this government goes, that much good it is for the state," KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, only election will bring "good decision", with the formation of the new government.

"If we leave it to them (BJP), what they will do in six months I'm not sure...people are not happy with this government..." he claimed.

As the Yediyurappa government in Karnataka completed one month in office on Monday, Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah had claimed it may last one year at the most.

Predicting mid-term election to the assembly, the former chief minister had urged Congress workers to start preparing for it and strengthen the party.

The BJP is battling discontent ever since Yediyurappa expanded his cabinet last week.

It has aggravated further with two first time ministers, one of them not even the legislator being made Deputy Chief Minister, during portfolio allocation on Monday night.

In a first, Karnataka got three Deputy Chief Ministers as Yediyurappa allocated portfolios to 17 newly appointed ministers.

"Because of BJP's greed for power, Karnataka is in such a sorry state today. The administration in the state has completely collapsed.

The engine of this government has not even got started, leave aside it taking off," Rao said.

Alleging that the BJP government did not show the courtesy to hear the Congress party on the flood situation, he said, "We had asked for an all-party meeting to discuss the issue. They did not get the floods declared as national calamity despite such huge loss, you could not get even a rupee released as relief from the centre."

Condemning the "failures" of the government in providing relief to people in flood-hit areas, the Congress has decided to stage a protest on Thursday from 10 am to 6 pm in which all party leaders will participate.

"This is to warn the government against any act of negligence and demanding an all party meeting to discuss the flood situation," he added.

After the protest, Congress leaders, who have travelled to flood-ravaged districts of the state, would submit a report to the Prime Minister through the Governor on the ground situation in affected areas.

Hitting out at BJP, central government and the Prime Minister for "not responding" to the flood situation, Rao said: "we will wait for few more days or else we may be forced to go to Delhi and stage a protest there." "The way in which the state's administration is running under the BJP rule, it is shocking," Rao said.

Alleging that BJP pulled down the coalition government with the help of 'operation lotus' by spending about Rs 20-25 crore each on about 20 odd MLAs, he said, they had created Rs 500-600 crore "operation lotus fund" to destabilise the government and come to power using unethical means.

He claimed that the situation in the government has gone to "worst", after the cabinet expansion because of disgruntlement within the BJP. "Discontent is at its peak in BJP, as those who is not a legislator has been made minister. C C Patil and Laxman Savadi what they did as a minister in the assembly is known to everyone, also Savadi is not even an MLA has been made a Deputy Chief Minister."

Former Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers have been demoted, he claimed, adding that if Jagadish Shettar, who was Chief Minister, had self-respect, he should not have accepted the Minister post, "same with R Ashoka and K S Eshwarappa, who had earlier served as deputy Chief Ministers."

"This shows that BJP is running both the government and the party like a Hitler rule, no one is able to speak anything against what comes from Delhi. There is no internal democracy within the party, even Yediyurappa has to follow diktat blindly," he alleged.