BJP urges CEC to ban all types of pre-poll media surveys

Udupi, May 4 (UNI) Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the BJP would write a letter today itself to the Chief Election Commission (CEC) urging to ban all types of pre-poll media surveys.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that he would urge the CEC to ban publishing of pre-poll surveys before the election.

The recent pre-poll survey by CNN-IBN was totally ''biased and baseless.'' The NDTV had also planned to publish a pre-poll survey, indicating that the Congress would get 120 to 130 seats while BJP's stake would be reduced to 60 to 65 seats and JD(S) would get only 20 or 25 seats in Karanataka Assembly.

The former Chief Minister said, ''I am in politics for the last 40 years and have been touring all Constituencies in the State since last two months. The response from the people all over the State was overwhelming and much above our expectation. Our party would definitely get majority seats in the Assembly and will form BJP Government in the State.'' Replying to the criticisms made by former Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily and senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member B Janardhan Poojary, Mr Yeddyurappa said, ''let them either prove the charges made against the BJP on destruction of Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya or robbing of Hundi offering. Why are they making false allegations against the party with the fear of defeat in the election,'' he wondered.

He alleged that both the Congress and the JD(S) had hatched conspiracy by withdrawing their candidates in Shikaripura, where he was seeking re-election, not only to defeat him but also to make the former Chief Minister and State Chief of Samajwadi Party, S Bangarappa, a scape goat, who too was contesting from there. Both the parties have also entered into secret seat understanding with Mr Bangarappa in other Constituencies, he added.

He said he would write a letter to Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi about the false charges and conspiracy hatched against BJP by the leaders of her party. He challenged that if the Congress leaders have grit, then let Mr S M Krishna, Mr Poojary, Mr Moily, Mr Jaffer Sherief, Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Mallikarjun Kharge come on a single platform to discuss all the issues, instead of making false charges misleading the public. If the Congress party have courage, let them announce their captain (name of the Chief Minister candidate) before the election, he challenged.

Referring to the charges that the ban on liquor by the BJP-JD(S) coalition Government was the main cause for hike in the liquor price in the State, Mr Yeddyurappa said the prices have been hiked during the period of President Rule in the State.

He said the party was committed to set up a separate annual fund of Rs 100 crore for the developmental activities taken up by the temples in the State.

Mr Yeddyurappa also said both Mr Moily and Mr Poojary, representing Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, should retire from their political life if the BJP would capture ten out of 13 seats from the undivided Dakshina Kannada Constituency.

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