NEW DELHI: Congress chided BJP veteran L K Advani's proposed rath yatra against corruption by saying the choice of convenor in Ananth Kumar should be complemented by picking deposed Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa as charioteer.

Congress said Advani's rath should be guided by Yeddyurappa while Bangaru Laxman and Dilip Singh Judeo should be the rath's poster boys and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank its foot soldier. It added that choice of Ananth Kumar as convenor was also apt.

AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi's hurling of "tainted" saffron names at the BJP patriarch appeared to make light of his yatra's stated objective. Yeddyurappa was recently removed as Karnataka chief minister over corruption charges while Nishank was dislodged as Uttarakhand CM over similar reports of corruption in his regime. Ananth Kumar, an Advani confidant, was mired in controversies during his stint as Union minister like HUDCO allotment and patronage to lobbyist Niira Radia and his alleged political nexus with the Reddy brothers of Bellary.

Reeling under the effect of Anna Hazare's agitation, Congress is keen to ensure that BJP does not benefit from the anti-graft mood and feels that highlighting corruption cases from the saffron stable would help in blunting the rival offensive. While pointing to graft in BJP states, Congress asked the rival to list five steps it took while in power to curb corruption while flagging UPA decisions like bilateral treaties to check tax evasion and curbing discretionary powers.

Singhvi asked, "Did you ever whisper word 'Lokpal' in those six years? The country is waiting with baited breath for BJP and Advani to tell us as to how and how much the rath yatra will reduce corruption." He said the more the BJP resorted to such gimmickry, the more it would stand exposed.

Congress, in the same breath, reacted carefully to the yatra announced by Hazare, saying it welcomed "any genuine work to reduce corruption".

Congress said the reason behind Advani's venture was his prime ministerial ambitions. Singhvi said, "We do hope and trust that Advani's burning desire to change his permanent status as PM-in-waiting will not let him and the BJP overpower peace and stability which were heavily disturbed last time around when the PM-in-waiting tried his rath yatra many years ago."