Ridiculous To Blame BJP On Karnataka Crisis, Says Ram Madhav

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Madhav has dismissed charges that his party engineered defections in Karnataka leaving the Congress-JD(S) government struggling to survive, but said they are keeping a watch on the developments in the southern state.

Karnataka's year-old Congress-Janata Dal coalition government is on life support after a yet another Independent lawmaker quit, taking the total number of resignations since last week to 15. Thirteen of them belong to the ruling Congress and the Janata Dal Secular. Earlier today, another Independent, made minister a month ago, resigned and came out in support of the BJP, giving it a narrow edge in the assembly.

Mr Madhav took a jibe at the Congress by asking to whom the lawmakers are sending their resignation letters as Rahul Gandhi has already stepped down as party president.

"Everybody knows whatever is happening in Karnataka is because of the ambitions of certain leaders of their own parties. It is they who are engineering dissent within their party. We are not doing anything there...we are just watching (the developments)," he said.

"It is they who are actually running the coalition, which was (anyway) against the mandate of the people. They come together and tried to run it and today they are fighting among themselves. To blame the BJP is ridiculous," Mr Madhav added.

The BJP national general secretary was in Jammu to welcome in the party fold Mohammad Iqbal Malik, a leader from Darhal area of Rajouri who quit the Congress recently. Mr Malik joined the BJP at its headquarters.

Mr Madhav said everyday people can see newspaper headlines about resignation of Congress leaders.

"The youth leaders from Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai submitted their resignations. But whom did they send their resignation letters to? (Rahul) Gandhi has already resigned from his post and is sitting at home," he added.

Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, resigned his post while Mumbai unit chief Milind Deora also stepped down following a meeting with Rahul Gandhi.

"This is the condition of the party (Congress). They are 'Bhagwan ke Bharose' (on God's mercy)," Mr Madhav said, adding that nothing good is expected from the party for the country. "It will become history very soon. The future in the country belongs only to the BJP."

"The BJP is a big hope for all the people who love this country and want its development. The BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only party which can fulfill aspirations of all sections of the society," he said.

Mr Madhav said the doors of his party are open to all good thinking politicians who want development of their areas. "We are for equitable development of all the three regions of the state: Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir. Though Jammu faced discrimination... we are sure that the next government in the state would be of the BJP and Jammu will get justice," he said.