Don't elect Yeddyurappa, says Kejriwal

Bangalore, March 16 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal Sunday cautioned voters of Karnataka against electing former BJP ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa and B. Sriramulu in the Lok Sabha elections.

"If you elect Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu in this election, and if (Narendra) Modi becomes prime minister, he will make them telecom and mining ministers in his government. And you know what they will do... going by their track record in the state," Kejriwal said at a public rally here.

Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu, who rejoined the BJP recently, are contesting from Shimoga and Bellary reserved (ST) Lok Sabha constituencies in the April 17 parliamentary polls in the state.

Yeddyurappa resigned as chief minister in July 2011 after he was indicted by the Lokayukta for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore-rupee mining scam in Karnataka.

Sriramulu, who quit the BJP in September 2011 and floated a regional party BSR Congress, is a close confidant of jailed former BJP minister G. Janardan Reddy, who is also allegedly involved in the mining scam.

Asserting that the people of Karnataka were dejected with both the national parties, Kejriwal said that though the Congress returned to power after the state assembly elections last year, its government inducted "tainted" men like D.K. Shiv Kumar and Roshan Baig into the cabinet.

"You voted out the corrupt BJP government and brought back the Congress hoping the ruling party will root out corruption. You see what its government has done by making Kumar and Baig cabinet ministers," Kejriwal told the crowd of about 10,000 people, who assembled at the Freedom Park in the city centre.

Reiterating that people across India were fed up with corrupt political parties, the former Delhi chief minister said the same people were rooting for an honest party which will work for their welfare.

"In the last 10 years, the UPA government looted the country through various scams in 2G, coal block allocations, Commonwealth Games, airport projects and natural gas. The amount of loot was more than what the British had looted from this country during its 200-year rule in India," he said.