From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Apr 22: The very fact that several prominent BJP leaders, starting from former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and many other sitting MLCs have resigned and joined Congress, along with the latest batch former MLAs Vishwath Patil Hebbal, Aravind Chowhan and Shivanand Patil, who joined Congress on Saturday, is proof that BJP’s dam has breached, claimed KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar on Saturday.

Addressing a hurriedly convened media conference to announce the admission of former BJP MLA from Chittapur Vishwanath Patil Hebbal and Aravind Chowhan and Shivanand Patil, who are prominent leaders from the North Karnataka region at his residence on Saturday morning, Shivakumar said many more leaders are joining the Congress party.

“We are definitely on the comeback trail and the corrupt and inefficient BJP rule will be thrown out by the people, who are fed up of the corruption, runaway price rise and mounting unemployment,’’ the KPCC Chief said.

Shivakumar alleged that the Chief Minister’s office is misusing its powers to conspire with pliant authorities in the Election Commission to ensure the rejection of nomination papers in some constituencies to benefit the ruling BJP.

“In the Savadatti Yellamma constituency, the scrutiny of the nomination papers have been held up to aid the ruling BJP candidate to correct his faulty nomination papers,’’ he said demanding an impartial probe into all the telephone calls from the Chief Minister’s office to the designated Returning Officer.

Shivakumar alleged that the ruling BJP had tried its best to reject his nomination papers from Kanakapura assembly constituency. He asked the Election Commission authorities to take note of the misuse of the powers by the ruling BJP and refuse to yield to pressures to prevent eligible candidates from contesting.

“The test of the Election Commission authorities and their impartiality must be proved by rejecting all the faulty nomination papers by BJP candidates,’’ he said.

Answering questions from reporters on the charge by Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje that the Congress party had collected Rs 2 lakh along with the applications by the ticket aspirants and therefore the nomination papers of all Congress candidates in the 224 constituencies must be rejected, he shot back: “We have collected the money upfront. The amount is Rs 5,000 for application and Rs 2 lakh for the party building fund. There is no irregularity or 40% commission. Let BJP probe into all the complains and charges involving Nehru Olekar, Basavaraj Patil Yatnal, Vishwanath, Goolihatti Shekhar, K S Eshwarappa, Virupakshappa Madal and prove its probity,’’ he said.

To another charge by Shobha Karandlaje that the senior Congress leader M B Patil had conspired to finish off Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Mallikarjuna Kharge, the KPCC Chief asked the Union Minister to come clean on her role in dethroning former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. “All know the role played by Shobhakka and others against Yediyurappa,’’ he said.

Shettar and Savadi, who quit BJP and joined Congress, have already disclosed of the leaders who conspired against them and other senior leaders in BJP.

Shivakumar said the RSS attempts to target Shettar will not work. “The Congress party will stand by him. He is a senior and veteran leader,’’ he said adding: `Shettar is the star campaigner for the Congress party.’’

The KPCC chief extended greetings to the Muslim community on the Ramzan festival.

Later, both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah extended greetings to each other and exhibited their personal rapport with each other at a private function.