: Former state general secretary of Janata Dal(S) Ashok Pujari today formally joined BJP with thousands of his supporters.
The function was attended by party state president Prahlad Joshi and former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.
Pujari said that unlike others, he joined BJP without any complaint against JD(S), for which he worked over 15 years in different capacities.
He said he joined BJP with his supporters accepting the party's principles and added he still maintains cordial relations with former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Devegowda and former Chief Minister H D Kumarswamy.
Over 10,000 party workers of JD(S) have also joined BJP along with him, he claimed.
Joshi said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is wrongly blaming the Centre though NDA government has sanctioned Rs 1,540 crore as drought relief to the state.
Shettar alleged there is no government existing in Karnataka and it is under heavy debts.
