Yeddyurappa defends Operation Lotus

Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa today defended "Operation Lotus" under which the BJP engineered defection of MLAs from opposition parties.

"Operation Lotus was carried out in the state as Congress and JD(S) were luring BJP MLAs to dethrone my government. That's why Operation Lotus was initiated by BJP", Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

Yeddyurappa has come under attack over luring of opposition MLAs and it is learnt that the advisory sent to his government by the Centre recently also makes a mention of it.

BJP managed to poach in about 20 MLAs from JD(S) and Congress by making them resign their assembly membership and contest the bypolls.

Yeddyurappa also reiterated his resolve to curb illegal mining.