CPI(M) slams BJP for retaining Yeddyurappa as Karnataka CM

In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'People's Democracy', the CPI(M) said the BJP abandoned "all pretences of morality" last Wednesday as Bihar Assembly election threw a landslide victory for Nitish Kumar-led NDA.

"In a classic case of double speak and political opportunism sans any sense of guilt, BJP has decided to retain its Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, despite mounting charges of corruption and nepotism against him," it said.

BJP had on Wednesday decided to retain Yeddyurappa, who was facing allegations of corruption and nepotism. He allegedly alloted government land to his sons.

The party said the BJP sought to take "totally undeserved" credit for the Bihar results by claiming to have placed the development agenda over caste considerations, and added its Karnataka decision was based purely on caste considerations.

"When it became clear that the Chief Minister had mobilised the powerful Lingayat community behind him, it became certain that with his ouster, the BJP could well loose its first state government in South India.

"Clearly, political morality and the ostensible crusade against corruption in Parliament were thrown to the wind in order to save its state government purely on caste considerations," the party said.

The CPI(M) said the BJP seems to have hit "another morality crisis" in Uttarakhand where many of its top leaders were mounting pressure for the removal of its chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who allegedly is mired in a spate of scandals.

"Two major scandals rocking the state include alleged irregularities in 56 hydro electric projects and changing the land use of a 15 acre industrial plot worth Rs 400 crores and handing it over to real estate developers for a mere Rs 3 crores at Rishikesh," it alleged.

"It is, thus, clear that on the issue of large-scale corruption, the colossal loot of India, there is little difference between the Congress-led UPA and the BJP," the editorial said.