E-Paper
BJP apprehends misuse of official machinery
Karnataka unit of BJP said it would ask its cadres to foil any attempt to use money, muscle and liquor power by the ruling party in polls.
Apprehending misuse of official machinery, Karnataka unit of BJP today said it would ask its cadres to foil any attempt to use money, muscle and liquor power by the ruling party in the elections to Lok Sabha and state assembly.
Speaking to reporters after releasing a video cassette for campaign, BJP state unit president Ananth Kumar said they would also petition the Election Commission to take steps to deploy "special central forces" to prevent poll malpractices.
Alleging that the ruling Congress did make attempts to "convert Karnataka into Bihar" in the past, he said BJP would be alert to prevent it and ensure free and fair polls.
Asserting that there was a "decisive wave" in favour of BJP in Karnataka for the assembly polls too, he also lashed out at the Congress for not coming out with its manifesto even though just eight days were left for the first phase of polls.
Failure to bring out the manifesto till now showed the Congress' "bankruptcy" and its lack of vision for the state, he charged, saying BJP would make it a major election issue.
BJP had unveiled its "vision document" and JD(S) its manifesto but Congress had not, he said, claiming it only showed it had lost capacity to think and present an agenda and that it had also lost confidence of returning to power.
He asked the Government to come out with a "status paper" on what Congress had promised and what it had done.
The cassette beginning with a two-sentence message in Kannada from Vajpayee has two songs and a skit taking a dig at the Krishna Government, focussing on power and water and highlighting the "feel good factor" among people.
