Karnataka BJP announces stir against state govt on corruption

After being reportedly pulled up by party president Amit Shah, the Karnataka BJP today announced a week-long agitation against the state government, particularly against Power Minister D K Shivakumar, over "corruption".
Various properties linked to Shivakumar were raided by the Income Tax department for three consecutive days earlier this month.
"The BJP will launch a week-long statewide agitation fromWednesday against the Congress government in general and D K Shivakumar in particular on the issue of corruption," state party chief B S Yeddyurappa said in a statement.
He added that the saffron party had taken a serious note of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not taking any action against the minister in the wake of the IT raids.

"The government has always beentolerant towards corruption and corrupt people," Yeddyurappa said.
Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Karnataka which concludes today, has reportedly expressed his disappointment with the state BJP leaders over their silence on the "failures" of the state government and on the IT raids.

Asserting that the BJP had always been a party committed toprobity in public life and which believed in providing a corruption-free administration, Yeddyurappa said Karnataka had unfortunately become "synonymous with corrupt administration" and earned the epithet ofbeing the "most corrupt government" in the country.
Pointing out that Siddaramaiah had not removed any of his ministers, who had become "tainted" due to corruption charges, the state BJP chief said the agitation would take the form of dharnas, rallies, torch-light processions (by the BJP Yuva Morcha) and silent-protest marches (by the Mahila Morcha).

These would be held at the state, district and taluk levels and a memorandum would also be submitted to the governor, deputy commissioners and tahsildars, he said.
In a swoop down that stirred a huge political controversy, the IT department, on August 2, began raiding various properties linked to Shivakumar, who hosted 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort on the city outskirts, reportedly to forestall alleged "poaching" attempts by the BJP in the run-up to the RajyaSabha polls in that state.
IT officials said they had seized cash and jewellery worth over Rs 15 crore during the raids at about 66 places across the country.

The department is yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the raids.