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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar accuses LDF, UDF of backing Iran over Keralites in Gulf
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday hit out at both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF, saying that their reactions to the recent conflict in West Asia show that they are supporting Iran rather than standing with the people of Kerala living in the Gulf countries.
He accused both fronts of "playing politics" in the name of religion and appeasement ahead of State Assembly elections, rather than taking a clear stand on the crisis.
It is "surprising" that the Left Democrat Front and United Democratic Front are "supporting" Iran -- which is attacking Gulf countries that economically sustain Kerala and are considered a second home by Keralites, Chandrasekhar said in a statement here.
The BJP leader said Keralites, many of whom depend on jobs in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, are anxious about the situation.
He underlined that the first priority should be the safety and security of expatriate workers and their families, not political gains.
His statement comes a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the United States was displaying "hooliganism" against Iran and accused it of taking "irrational" actions that undermine the sovereignty of nations.
The Congress has also "unequivocally" condemned the targeted assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said no external power has the authority to engineer a regime change, as such actions amount to imperialism and are incompatible with a rules-based international order.
Chandrasekhar said that the central government is offering help and guidance to Indian citizens in the region, and urged people not to panic.
To assist those affected, the Kerala BJP has opened helpdesks in 30 district offices and launched a toll-free number -- 1800-257-4357 --for Keralites seeking information or support connected to the conflict, the statement said.
