Mangaluru: PM Modi attends BJP core committee meet, gathers info on govt schemes, party
Mangaluru, Sep 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was here to take part in an official programme on Friday attended the Karnataka BJP's core committee meeting, and gathered information on the implementation of central schemes and organisational activities of the party in the poll-bound State.
The Prime Minister, attending the core committee meeting, gains significance particularly with the Assembly polls to be held sometime in March-April next year. The party is confident of being back in power in 2023 by winning at least 150 of the total 224 seats.
BJP's Karnataka unit vice-president Nirmal Kumar Surana, in a statement, said Modi attended the meeting on the request of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the State president of the party Nalin Kumar Kateel.
The Prime Minister, at the meeting, learned about the organisational activities of the party and administrative matters related to the State government. He got the information from Bommai, Kateel and others, and made suggestions, Surana said.
According to sources, Modi is said to have asked the Bommai and those in the government to see to it that the welfare schemes of the central and the State governments reached the people, and party leaders to ensure that the workers are motivated and do not feel neglected.
During the meeting, discussions are also said to have taken place regarding the preparation for Assembly poll, with leaders in the State asking Modi to visit the State frequently in the run-up to the election.
Modi was in this coastal city this afternoon to inaugurate and lay the foundation for mechanisation and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crore, and addressed a mega event.
The visit to Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district was significant after the recent murders including that of BJP activist Praveen Nettar near here, triggering protests and resignations by some of its Yuva Morcha members and workers across Karnataka, accusing the State government of not standing up to protect the lives of Hindu 'karyakartas'.
Several Hindutva ideologues and organisations, too, have expressed angst against the government on this.
Modi's visit has come at a time when the ruling BJP government in the State was facing corruption charges of "40 per cent commission" in public works by the State contractors' association, and also allegations of irregularities in several departments by certain organisations and Opposition parties, especially the Congress.
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Misuse of power, money to control election mechanism seen during Maharashtra polls: Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed the misuse of power and money to control the entire election mechanism, which was never before seen in any state assembly or national polls, was witnessed in Maharashtra.
Pawar made the statement when he visited senior activist Dr Baba Adhav, who is protesting against the alleged "misuse of EVMs" in the recent state polls in Maharashtra.
Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his three-day protest at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in the city on Thursday.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), have been alleging manipulation of EVMs in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, which saw a landslide victory by the Mahayuti.
The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, won 230 out of 288 assembly seats in the November 20 polls, while the MVA managed just 46 seats.Talking to reporters, Pawar said elections were conducted recently in the country, and there is a restlessness among the people about these.
Baba Adhav's agitation represents this restlessness, he said.
He said, "There is a murmur among the people that the recent polls in Maharashtra saw 'misuse of power' and 'floods of money', which was never seen in the past. Such things are heard of in local-level polls, but taking over the entire election mechanism with the help of money and misuse of power was not seen before. However, we witnessed it in Maharashtra, and people are restless now."
He added that people were recalling late socialist ideologue Jaiprakash Narayan and felt somebody should take a step forward.
"I heard Baba Adhav has taken a lead into this issue and is agitating at Phule Wada. His protest gives hope to the people, but it is not enough. A mass revolt is necessary, as the danger of the parliamentary democracy getting destroyed looms," Pawar said.
The former Union minister said those who have reins of the country in their hands are least bothered about this.
"Despite widespread discussion over it (alleged misuse of EVMs) in the country, whenever the opposition tries to raise the issue in the Parliament, they are not allowed to speak. Opposition leaders have been seeking an opportunity to speak on these issues for six days, but their demands have not been accepted even once. It shows they want to attack parliamentary democracy," he claimed.
He said Dr Adhav's protest is a fine example of someone revolting against the issue and expressed confidence that his protest will create a ripple effect.
