Former Minister Bachegowda quits JD to join BJP

Bangalore, Mar 13 (UNI) Former Karnataka Minister and Janata Dal leader B N Bachegowda today joined Bharatiya Janata Party along with his scores of supporters in presence of senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today.

Talking to newsmen soon after the formal joining, Mr Bachegowda alleged that the JD (S) did not make use of his potential properly.

BJP was not a communal party as viewed by other political parties and there was also internal freedom for leaders, he observed.

Welcoming Mr Bachegowda into the party, Mr Naidu said the Congress was panicky that it would be routed in the assembly election and was trying its methods to ensure that the election was postponed. Sonia Gandhi's leadership had failed to garner votes for the party and the result was the defeat of Congress in 10 out of 11 states where the elections were held after the Lok Sabha Polls in 2004, he pointed out.

He said people would teach Congress a lesson for its 'irresponsible' way of dealing various issues such as price rise of essential commodities and farmers suicide. Loan waiver announced by the Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his budget was a big hoax, he ridiculed.

He said defeat for the congress in Karnataka was definite and at the most it could be postponed for some time. On the probable entry of former Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna into state politics, he said Krishna had already been a 'tried, tired and failed horse." It was during his leadership only the Congress was reduced by its strength in the last assembly elections, he recalled.

He demanded the centre to accept and implement the Kerala High Court recommendations and despatch central forces immediately to control the situation.

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