Nitin Gadkari to address party office bearers, ministers in Karnataka

BJP president Nitin Gadkari is arriving in Bangalore on Tuesday to interact with party leaders and ministers in the wake of land scams and corruption charges against the ruling Karnataka government.

Gadkari will be holding a meeting at a private resort on the city outskirts with the state unit office bearers and later address ministers of chief minister BS Yeddyurappa's cabinet, party sources told PTI here.

The BJP chief is also chairing a meeting of the legislature party, sources said.

Gadkari's visit assumes political significance in the wake of internal trouble dogging the first ever BJP government in the south and allegations of nepotism, favouritism and corruption faced by Yeddyurappa and some of his ministerial colleagues.

The land scam charges claimed its first political victim in Katta Subramanya Naidu, who resigned as housing minister yesterday after Lok ayukta registered an FIR against him and ten others including his son Jagadish in connection with irregularities that have occurred in the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board.

Stepping up its campaign against Yeddyurappa government, the opposition Congress has filed a complaint before Lok ayukta seeking probe into some of the "dubious" land dealings.

Sources said Gadkari is expected to take stock of the prevailing situation and discuss measures to be taken to arrest the dent caused to the party's image.