‘Communal narrative will not yield results if corruption issue is not addressed,’ says a BJP functionary.
When Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attended a political rally for farmers in Bengaluru on April 21, one of the issues he spoke about was corruption in Karnataka during the tenures of BJP and Congress-led governments.
“The government before this (Congress) was a 20 per cent (commission) government, the current government (BJP) is a 40 per cent government. In Delhi, we have a zero per cent government,” Kejriwal told the audience.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener touched on what is a growing concern in the state BJP. The ruling party is worried about the repercussions of the corruption allegations — several have surfaced in recent weeks — in next year’s Assembly elections
“There is a concern in the party that corruption may be a big factor in the Karnataka polls. There is no clarity on how to deal with it — whether serious measures to show a willingness to tackle corruption are needed or whether the status quo will continue,” said a senior BJP leader on the condition of anonymity.
The leader added that a Gujarat-style makeover of the government — last September, 14 months ahead of the state elections, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his entire Cabinet were replaced by a team led by first-time MLA Bhupender Patel — had not been completely ruled out in Karnataka. A major organisational overhaul is also rumoured to be on the cards.
Comments