Crime-taint boot on BJP foot

Almost every fourth BJP MLA in the new Karnataka Assembly is tainted by criminal charges, Election Commission records show.

Of all the southern state’s MLAs who face criminal cases, over 60 per cent come from the BJP, which frequently accuses the Congress of criminalising politics.

A civil society poll watchdog has called on the BJP not to pick any of these tainted MLAs as ministers. State Congress officials have indicated to The Telegraph they are likely to “expose the BJP’s double standards” if any of these MLAs gets a ministry berth.


Records obtained from the poll commission show that 25 of the 110 BJP lawmakers face criminal charges.

They are accused of crimes ranging from cheating people out of their property to rioting, arson, attempted murder and defamation. Two face cases for allegedly preventing a public servant from doing his duty — one of them being charged with assaulting an officer on duty. Another lawmaker is accused of not filing tax returns.

C.T. Ravi, BJP legislator from Chikmagalur, is charged with “promoting enmity among people on grounds of religion, caste, race, etc”.

Of the Congress’s 80 MLAs, eight face criminal cases while H.D. Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) has seven such MLAs out of 28. None of the six Independent MLAs, all being wooed by the BJP as it tries to form a government, faces any cases.

Which means that of the state’s 40 tainted MLAs, the BJP has 25.

“We will raise the issue, especially if any of these candidates is given a minister’s post. They have frequently accused the UPA of giving cabinet berths to people with criminal cases against them. It is our turn to return the favour,” a Bangalore-based Congress leader said.

Karnataka Election Watch, an NGO whose members include teachers from the Indian Institute of Management and the Indian Institute of Science, wants these MLAs kept out of the ministry.

Three days before the Karnataka results were declared, the BJP had, on May 22, accused the UPA of criminalising governance. As the UPA celebrated four years in power, the BJP highlighted the pending criminal cases against a minister.

In 2004, the Opposition had raised a storm in Parliament after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren, accused of murdering his former secretary Shashinath Jha, was made coal minister in the UPA government.