CM Bommai and Yediyurappa to begin statewide tour ahead of Karnataka polls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa will kickstart the party's election tour in the state from Raichur on Tuesday, in the run-up to assembly polls next year.
The duo are scheduled to cover 52 Assembly segments till December 25, as part of the 'Jana Sankalpa Yatra'.
The ruling party's tour begins at the time when Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is passing through the state.
"The intention of the Jana Sankalpa Yatra is to inform the programmes, work and policies of BJP government in the state and at the Centre, and also send a message to BJP office-bearers and workers to prepare for elections with a resolve to bring BJP back to power in the state," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here ahead of leaving for Raichur, he said, "There is enthusiasm everywhere. Through the Jana Sankalpa Yatra, we hope to gain the confidence of the people and to be victorious in the 2023 assembly polls."
According to the Chief Minister, during the tour, he will be interacting with beneficiaries of various schemes and visit certain places as planned by the local party functionaries.
Responding to a question, Bommai said he and his party are not worried about Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, and said the foot march has no impact.
"The world knows, it is 'jodoing' (uniting) whom and 'thodoing' (dividing) whom. It has no importance. We are not worried, we are doing our sankalpa (resolution) yatra to win the election by informing people about our programmes. There is no connection with it (BJP's tour with Congress' yatra)," he added.
Incidentally, BJP's tour begins from Raichur Rural assembly segment, an ST reserve seat that has a huge presence of the Valmiki community.
The state government had last week decided to hike the reservation quota for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for STs from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The 'Valmiki Gurupeetha' seer Prasannananda Swami has been on a hunger strike demanding the ST quota hike.
Bommai and Yediyurappa will be touring predominantly in the 'Kalyana Karnataka' region.
Of the 52 seats which they will be touring, 20 constituencies are currently represented by Congress MLAs and four by JD(S).
Also, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel will be touring Haveri, Gadag and Hubli-Dharwad over the next three days.
The party has also planned seven rallies by SC Morcha in Mysuru on October 16; OBC Morcha in Kalaburagi on October 30, Raitha (farmer) Morcha in Hubballi on November 13; Yuva (youth) Morcha in Shivamogga on November 27; ST Morcha in Ballari on November 27; Mahila (women) Morcha in Bengaluru on December 25 and Minority Morcha in Vijayapura on January 8 ahead of the polls.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
