On Tuesday, Harsh Vardhan, the long-time Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Delhi, criticised Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal for accepting the support of the Congress to form a government in the state.
Hours later, Vardhan's colleagues in Karnataka formally invited scam-tainted BS Yeddyurappa back to the BJP.
Speaking during the Delhi legislature session at which AAP had to demonstrate its majority, Vardhan asked why the new party was associating with the very people it had promised to send to jail.
AAP "can ally with most corrupt party, but, you will protest if we look for allies for Modiji's government at the centre in the future", he told Kejriwal.
Not long after, Yeddyurappa accepted the invitation of BJP leaders to merge his year-old Karnataka Janata Paksha with the saffron party.
The BJP’s central leadership had forced Yeddyurappa to resign as Karnataka's chief minister in August 2011 after a Lokayukta report indicted him for corruption in an iron-ore mining scam. The BJP later declared that Yeddyurappa would not be given any high posts until he was cleared of corruption charges.
Yeddyurappa ended his 40-year association with the BJP a year after he resigned as CM, citing mistreatment and betrayal by fellow members.
The corruption charges severely undermined the BJP’s reputation in Karnataka. Its tally in the 223-member state assembly dived from 110 in 2008 to 20 in 2013. Yeddyurappa's KJP won six seats in this recent election.
Since then, both the BJP and KJP have been hinting at a possible reconciliation. Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, has been pitching strongly for Yeddyurappa’s return.
While the BJP's sense of realpolitik allowed it to embrace someone it once thought was too corrupt, the party refused to allow Kejriwal to make a similarly pragmatic decision.
AAP won 28 seats in the recent Delhi election and the BJP 31. Neither party gained a majority in the 70-member assembly.
AAP had declared both before and after the election that it would neither support nor take the support of any other party because it believed that they were all were equally guilty of corruption. However, after the BJP decided against forming a government and the decision fell to AAP, they threw the matter open to public opinion.
AAP conducted a telephone survey and sought opinions at streetside meetings to solicit views on whether it should seek support to form the government.
Kejriwal eventually accepted the Congress’ offer of unconditional outside support and became the Delhi CM on 28 December.
The BJP's anti-corruption rhetoric in Delhi and its actions in Karnataka demonstrate that the party isn't able to walk the talk.
Hours later, Vardhan's colleagues in Karnataka formally invited scam-tainted BS Yeddyurappa back to the BJP.
Speaking during the Delhi legislature session at which AAP had to demonstrate its majority, Vardhan asked why the new party was associating with the very people it had promised to send to jail.
AAP "can ally with most corrupt party, but, you will protest if we look for allies for Modiji's government at the centre in the future", he told Kejriwal.
Not long after, Yeddyurappa accepted the invitation of BJP leaders to merge his year-old Karnataka Janata Paksha with the saffron party.
The BJP’s central leadership had forced Yeddyurappa to resign as Karnataka's chief minister in August 2011 after a Lokayukta report indicted him for corruption in an iron-ore mining scam. The BJP later declared that Yeddyurappa would not be given any high posts until he was cleared of corruption charges.
Yeddyurappa ended his 40-year association with the BJP a year after he resigned as CM, citing mistreatment and betrayal by fellow members.
The corruption charges severely undermined the BJP’s reputation in Karnataka. Its tally in the 223-member state assembly dived from 110 in 2008 to 20 in 2013. Yeddyurappa's KJP won six seats in this recent election.
Since then, both the BJP and KJP have been hinting at a possible reconciliation. Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, has been pitching strongly for Yeddyurappa’s return.
While the BJP's sense of realpolitik allowed it to embrace someone it once thought was too corrupt, the party refused to allow Kejriwal to make a similarly pragmatic decision.
AAP won 28 seats in the recent Delhi election and the BJP 31. Neither party gained a majority in the 70-member assembly.
AAP had declared both before and after the election that it would neither support nor take the support of any other party because it believed that they were all were equally guilty of corruption. However, after the BJP decided against forming a government and the decision fell to AAP, they threw the matter open to public opinion.
AAP conducted a telephone survey and sought opinions at streetside meetings to solicit views on whether it should seek support to form the government.
Kejriwal eventually accepted the Congress’ offer of unconditional outside support and became the Delhi CM on 28 December.
The BJP's anti-corruption rhetoric in Delhi and its actions in Karnataka demonstrate that the party isn't able to walk the talk.
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