Mangaluru : Former Union minister B Janardhana Poojary said the appointment of B S Yeddyurappa as the state BJP president has strengthened the Congress party.

Addressing mediapersons here on Saturday, he said a corrupt politician, like Yeddyurappa, who was jailed on corruption charges, becoming the state BJP president is favourable to Congress party. But the BJP leaders think this would weaken the Congress party, he ridiculed.

Poojary complimented BJP national president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selecting Yeddyurappa for the post. Referring to Yeddyurappa’s statement of making state Congress-free, he said it would be impossible for him to do so when the prime minister himself has not been successful in doing so.

He predicted that Congress party would sweep the 2018 assembly election in the state.

Strongly condemning the statement by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in West Bengal that Trinamool Congress stands for Terror Murder Corruption, Poojary said he should speak carefully while addressing the public.

Poojary welcomed the court’s stay order on Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to scrap it.

He also asked the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to visit drought-hit areas in the state and listen to grievances of the people.

The chief minister should solve the demands of the Pre University College lecturers who are boycotting the evaluation of answer scripts, the former union minister said.