BJP to fight Yeddyurappa's bail plea rejection legally

Asserting that the party believes in zero tolerance towards corruption, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday termed the rejection of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa''s bail plea to be a legal issue, and said that they would fight it out legally.

"Just now we have received information that Yeddyurappa''s bail plea has been cancelled.

As far as the BJP is concerned, we have always been very clear and we have always tried to play a pro-active role to fight against corruption. When Yeddyurappa's name was named by the Karnataka Lokayukta, the Parliamentary Board of the BJP had decided that Yeddyurappa should resign on high moral grounds for which party stands. We all know that Yeddyurappa had resigned," said BJP leader J P Nadda.

"Now, it''s a legal process where his bail plea has been rejected. We will fight it out legally, but at the same time keeping high moral grounds Yeddyurappa had resigned and the BJP believes in zero tolerance towards corruption. In this case, we will fight it out legally because it is a legal issue," he added.

Spelling more trouble for Yeddyurappa and a major embarrassment to BJP, a Lokayukta court on Saturday rejected his bail plea and issued arrest warrant against him in two cases relating to alleged land scams.

The BJP leader, however, rubbished reports that the rejection of Yeddyurappa''s bail plea had come as an embarrassment for the party.

"The party is clear cut on the issue.  I said we are zero tolerance towards corruption and we are fighting against corruption. When we are fighting against corruption, it is not a question of embarrassment; it is a question of mission; with which mission L K Advani is continuing his ''yatra'' and will continue with full vitality, vigour and strength," he said.

Hitting out at the ruling party for slamming the BJP on the issue, Nadda said the Congress has no right to comment on the issue for it is deep neck involved in corruption.

"Now, I have heard that the Congress has commented on this issue. The Congress and the United Progressive Alliance government has no right to comment on this issue because they are neck deep in corruption," he alleged.

The Congress earlier in the day said it was ironical that Yeddyurappa is fighting for bail in a corruption case at a time, when the BJP is undertaking an anti-corruption yatra across the country.

"Perhaps it would have been far more appropriate if the anti-corruption yatra would have been first undertaken in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Punjab where BJP ministers and functionary have been indicted on charges of corruption," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari.

Former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde's independent inquiry into mining graft in Karnataka, accused Yeddyurappa and other key officials for causing a loss of at least 160 billion rupees to the state exchequer between 2006 and 2010 from illegal mining and a litany of abuses.

Yeddyurappa tendered his resignation on July 31 to Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj, following allegations of corruption that was later accepted.