BJP supporters gather at Vidhana Soudha for the swearing in of BS Yeddyurappa (above) on Friday. (Bangalore News Photo)

Bangalore, May 30: Five BJP legislators with tainted records have found a berth in B.S. Yeddyurappa’s government, the first solo effort by the party south of the Vindhyas.

The BJP, which has often in the past pointed the fingers at others for criminalisation of politics, chose to turn a blind eye to the demand of the Karnataka Election Watch, an NGO, which had written to Yeddyurappa to keep out from his ministry those with criminal taint.

Yeddyurappa was sworn in by governor Rameshwar Thakur along with 29 ministers, who included a Muslim candidate, Mumtaz Ali Khan, and a lone woman, Shobha Karandlaje. The portfolios will be announced later.

Among the 224 MLAs, the NGO listed 25 from the BJP, eight from the Congress and seven from the JD(S) as having criminal records. None of the six Independents, including five who were sworn in today, have any such blemish.

The BJP’s city president, S. Prakash, scoffed at the claims of the NGO. “They have listed crimes as pedestrian as public protests, distribution of leaflets and non-filing of sales tax returns in the same bracket as serious offences such as murder, rape and communal clashes. This is a mischievous attempt to derail the first BJP government that has come to power on its own in Karnataka,” he said.

Serious crimes, Prakash added, should be filed under a separate head, otherwise even a jostle with the police during protests will be turned into cases of rioting, obstructing government servants from performing their duty and defamation.

However, the BJP leader failed to explain why some ministers had used “dangerous weapons” during protests. “Please ask the police what weapons were seized from our senior state leaders. How can you expect leaders to carry dangerous weapons and attack anyone,” he said by way of explanation when pointed out that three of the five, including a woman minister, were listed as carrying dangerous weapons with an intention to cause hurt.

Of the five ministers, the one with the most serious charge is Bellary MLA B. Sriramulu who faces a case of attempt to murder. On the eve of the second phase of elections on May 16, a Congress worker who was attacked had alleged that Sriramulu himself had led a mob against him. The case is still on, but the newly sworn in minister denies any hand in it.

Trilochan Sastry, convener of Karnataka Election Watch and an IIM-B professor, who had written to Yeddyurappa to exclude those with criminal cases, said he would continue his fight.

“The next step is to complain to the state Lok Ayukta and director-general of police who are the authorities to take action. We will bring it to their notice as this is the first time criminalisation of politics has been noticed in south India. Even in Bihar, Nitish Kumar removed those with criminal record from his cabinet. I don’t know what compulsions Yeddyurappa has to hang on to these five,” Sastry said.

The Congress leaders, who boycotted the oath-taking ceremony on the majestic steps of Vidhana Soudha, did not want to comment and appeared to be one with the BJP. “It is a double-edged sword. But I agree that serious crimes and economic crimes should be listed separately instead of tainting everyone with the same brush,” a senior leader said.

In dock

B. Sriramulu: Attempt to murder, dacoity, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, causing hurt by dangerous weapons

K.S. Eswarappa: Unlawful assembly, rioting, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging duty

Shobha Karandlaje: Unlawful assembly, rioting, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, causing hurt by dangerous weapons

S.A. Ravindranath: Defamation lArvind Limbavali: Failure to submit returns under Karnataka Sales Tax Act