Coming soon: List of tainted BJP MLAs in Karnakata

The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party Elders' Forum, an informal group of party veterans, on Saturday said it would release a list of tainted ruling party Members of Legislative Assembly and ministers.

"We will release a list of 20 to 30 tainted MLAs and ministers in one or two months," the Forum's president B B Shivappa, a former president of the party's state unit, told reporters.

"If opportunity is given for them to contest, fitting reply will be given by fielding honest candidates," added Shivappa, also a former MLA.

He expressed the view that former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa leaving the party and floating a new regional outfit would not harm the interest of the BJP though there would be "minor problems here and there" with his followers.

Shivappa asserted that the dominant Lingayat community would not back Yeddyurappa.

To a question, he said had the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh been "powerful", it would not have allowed things to come to such a pass vis-a-vis the BJP government which, according to him, had earned a "bad name".

"Had the RSS been firm, Yeddyurappa would not have treaded the wrong path," Shivappa said.

The Forum urged the BJP government to "stop theatrics; engage in governance", saying Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Deputy Chief Ministers K S Eshwarappa and R Ashoka and "prominent" ministers are only busy trying to placate Yeddyurappa to stay in the party.

"People have elected you for providing pro-people governance and not to while away time indulging in infighting. Under the chief minister's leadership, the administration should be given renewed vigour and problems of the people should be responded to," he said.

Former Member of Parliament and ex-deputy speaker of Lok Sabha, S Mallikarjunaiah, former MLAs Rama Bhattaru and Shakuntala Shetty and former Member of Legislative Council Anna Vinaya Chandra are among those who are part of the Forum.