BJP no longer under mining kingpins

SHIMOGA: No party or power can destabilise the BJP state government, said state party president K S Eshwarappa on Sunday.Asserting that the outcome of the Bellary byelection has not disappointed them, Eshwarappa said that the BJP has emerged out of its taint from Bellary. “It is no longer under the clutches of the kingpins of mining,” he added. He said the votes polled by the party candiddate revelaed that it has now established a base in the region. “In the coming days, the BJP will strengthen its base in Bellary,” he said.Eshwarappa asserted that though the state government had released Rs 1,000 crore for the development of Bellary district, it was not put to proper use. Suspecting a nexus between the Congress and JD(S), he said: “The JD(S) openly supported Sriramulu and no senior Congress leader campaigned prior to the byelection in Bellary.” He added that the BJP had suspended six of its MLAs, and even an MP, for their deep involvement in anti-party activities.