In a major embarrassment for BJP in Karnataka, a complaint of corruption was lodged against B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday, barely two weeks after he took over as party state president.
The embarrassment is all the more because the complainant is an RSS worker. Complainant Hanume Gowda alleged that Yeddyurappa by-passed laws and transferred government funds to his loyalist's organisation when he was earlier in power.
Gowda, who is also an RTI activist, filed the complaint against Yeddyurappa for sanctioning five crores in government grants to an organisation floated by BJP's spokesperson and MLC, BJ Puttaswamy.
The complaint, filed with the anti-corruption bureau, alleged that Yeddyurappa allotted funds to Puttaswamy's Vishwa Ganigara Samudaya Trust even before it came into existence.
“Both Yeddyurappa and Puttaswamy have conspired to loot five crores from the government. Government rules say, for an organisation to seek grants, it has to be registered for at least three years, and that it has to give audit reports of three years," Gowda said.
“Today what has happened is, there is no organisation, there's no three years and no audit report... For this type of organisation, Yedurappa ji has given 5 crores. This is entirely corrupt," he said.
Puttaswamy, a known Yeddyurppa loyalist, served as minister and parliamentary secretary in the earlier BJP government. Last week, Yedydurappa appointed him party spokesperson.
Yeddyurappa was unfazed by the allegations. "I’m not at all bothered, let them file anything… but anti-corruption bureau is formed to help CM and his cabinet colleageues," he said.
The BJP, which wants to project itself as a crusader against corruption, has now got old cases tumbling out from its former five-year regime in Karnataka.
This case is doubly-embarrassing for BJP, as it is filed during the poll campaigns neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
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