Kejriwal campaigns against Moily in Karnataka

Chikkaballapur (Karnataka), March 16 (IANS) AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Sunday urged the electorate here to defeat Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M. Veerappa Moily of the Congress in the Lok Sabha election.

"Corrupt ministers like Moily should not be elected again as he had colluded (with a corporate house) to increase gas prices that will further fuel price rise," Kejriwal said in Chikkaballapur, 70 km from Bangalore.

The Congress has re-nominated Moily, a former Karnataka chief minister (1992-94), to contest from this rural constituency where he won in 2009 though he hails from the coastal Dakshina Kannada district, about 350 km away.

A day after hectic campaign across Bangalore Saturday, Kejriwal drove on a hot afternoon to Chikkaballapur in a convoy to seek votes for AAP candidate K. Arkesh, a retired police officer, contesting against Moily.

He introduced Arkesh to a motley crowd at a traffic junction.

"It is harmful for the country if leaders like Moily are allowed to loot the nation's wealth," Kejriwal said.

As part of its anti-corruption drive, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to contest against 'corrupt' politicians like Ananth Kumar and B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP in Bangalore South and Shimoga parliamentary seats in the state.

The AAP has fielded social worker Nina Nayak against Ananth Kumar and social activist G. Sridhar Kallahalla against Yeddyurappa in the Lok Sabha polls to be held April 17 in Karnataka, which has 28 parliamentary seats.

As Kejriwal is unwell and looked tired after campaigning in Gujarat and Maharasthra, his road shows in other assembly segments of this Lok Sabha constituency were cancelled.

He returns to Bangalore to address a public rally in the evening.