'BJP must take responsibility for mafia-backed K'taka govt'

New Delhi, Jul 22: Seeking the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yedyurappa, the CPI(M) today (Jul 22) asked the BJP to take "full responsibility" for installing a government backed by the mining mafia.

"The BJP leadership cannot prevaricate in this matter any more. It must own up full responsibility for instituting a government in Karnataka which is riddled with the mining mafia and those patronising them," the party Politburo said in a statement here.

The statement said Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has named the Chief Minister as being involved in wrongdoing and this had been confirmed by him even though the report has not yet been officially released.

"With this indictment, Yeddyurappa has no other option but to resign from office. After the report is submitted, all those named for wrongdoing should be prosecuted under the law," the CPI(M) said.

Senior party leader Sitaram Yechury had yesterday said, "We hope the BJP will take this decision (to ask Yedyurappa to quit) because otherwise its credibility in the fight against corruption is also very severely compromised."

CPI National Secretary D Raja has also demanded Yeddyurappa's resignation saying corruption charges were being "levelled continuously against him for a long time. Now the Lokayukta indictment has come."

He criticised the BJP for "crying hoarse on corruption and raising issues like the scams relating to 2G spectrum allocation and Commonwealth Games, but remaining silent on corruption in Karnataka".

"This is height of hypocrisy and shows BJP's shameless double standards," Raja said.

PTI