Naqvi defends Yeddyurappa's appointment

Defending the appointment of former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s state president, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the Lingayat strongman has been given 'clean chit' in all the 'politically motivated' allegations against him.

The opposition parties, including the Congress, JD (S) and NCP had earlier lashed out at the saffron party over Yeddyurappa's appointment.

"The Congress has lost both land (power) and morals. That is why they talk such baseless things. Yedyurappa ji is a committed party worker. He has been given a clean chit is all the baseless and politically motivated allegations levelled against him. Our party is not like Congress where everything revolves around a family," Naqvi told ANI when asked about flak the BJP is facing because of Yeddyurappa's appointment.

Criticising the BJP, Congress leader P.L. Punia said that Yeddyurappa's appointment shows that the saffron party has got nothing to do with 'honestly' in politics.

Meanwhile, JD (S) leader Danish Ali said that the BJP was patronizing with the corrupt and the criminals in the party.

Yeddyurappa had quit the BJP after being accused of corruption and later rejoined it.

The Lingayat strongman, who is credited with providing the BJP its first success in South India, faced a tough tenure as chief minister from 2008 onwards after a Lokayukta report accused him of corruption.

He was then forced to resign and formed the Karnataka Janata Paksha in 2012. He was brought back to the BJP just before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.