Karnataka leadership change exposes corrupt practices of BJP: Congress

New Delhi, July 10 (ANI): With outgoing Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda's camp setting forth three conditions for his resignation from the post, Congress general secretary B K Hariprasad on Tuesday said the change of leadership in Karnataka exposes the corrupt practices of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.

"All these days, BJP is known as one of the most communal parties in India. Now, after the incident which is taking place in Karnataka, they are proving beyond doubt that they are not only communalists, but they are also castiests," Hariprasad told media here.

"Its a shame on the part of the BJP that local leaders are not listening to the directions of the BJP high command. Whatever change they have been trying to bring in, it shows and it exposes the corrupt practices of the BJP," he added.

Ministers and MLAs loyal to Gowda are believed to be pushing for making him the party's state unit President, and his close confidante Gobind Karjol the Deputy Chief Minister. They held a meeting at Gowda's residence, in an apparent show of strength.

They have also demanded an equal number of ministerial berths to their camp, and the announcing of the names of ministers and constitution of the new 30-member Cabinet at one go, the sources said.

Central BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh are in the city to oversee the transition from Gowda to Jagadish Shettar.

Shettar, who has the backing of former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, will be the third BJP chief minister in the state in four years since the party came to power there in 2008.

The BJP's core group met in New Delhi on Saturday to approve BJP President Nitin Gadkari's strategy of resolving the Karnataka crisis by replacing Gowda with Shettar.

The crisis in the Karnataka BJP intensified last week after nine ministers resigned from the State Cabinet, thereby projecting a show of strength in their campaign for ousting Gowda.

The ministers, who quit earlier were Jagadish Shettar (Rural Development), CM Udasi (PWD), Murugesh Nirani (Industries), V Somanna (Housing), Umesh Katti (Agriculture), Basavaraj Bommai (Water Resources), Revu Naik Belamagi (Libraries and Animal Husbandry), M P Renukacharya (Excise) and Raju Gowda (Small Scale Industries)

Following the decision of BJP leadership that there would be a change in Chief Ministership the Ministers withdrew their resignation. (ANI)