"I don't aspire to be CM", says Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in poll-bound Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): The four-time Lok Sabha member from Dharwad defended the BJP's ticket distribution strategy for the May 10 Assembly elections in the State, which sparked some rebellion by those who missed the bus, saying it was aimed at generational shift.
On whether he aspires to be CM, Joshi said: "No. Absolutely no".
"I feel I am fortunate to work directly under Modi, I have never seen in my life such a personality", the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Minies, told PTI in an interview here.
Joshi said Modi's tenure as Prime Minister would figure in golden letters when the history of India is written in future. As Parliamentary Affairs Minister he got lots of opportunities, he said, highlighting the period when Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated.
"So long as I have the blessings of God, people and the Prime Minister, I wish to remain there (at the central level under Modi)", he said.
Joshi said the BJP is not facing much anti-incumbency in poll-bound Karnataka.
"Wherever it (anti-incumbency) is there, in the majority of cases, it's against the individuals who are MLAs or Ministers. That we have addressed in a different way already, and as a party as a whole, there is no anti-incumbency or there is very less anti-incumbency. We have already addressed (anti-incumbency) which you have seen while changing many candidates and other things", the Minister said..
Joshi did not agree with the perception in some quarters that the BJP could have handled the ticket distribution exercise better.
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"What will happen when you want to bring the change...when you want to bring the new faces, when you want to make the change of generation, then some people accept it , one or two people have not accepted it, and have left the party. I am quite confident that it will not have any impact.and BJP will win and form its own government for the first time", he said.
Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi quit the BJP after being denied ticket to contest and joined the Congress recently.
Joshi dismissed suggestions that the BJP is putting all its might to defeat Shettar and Savadi, who are now on the field as Congress candidates and it has become a matter of prestige for the party.
He said the party is organisationally very strong in the region and is working towards the victory of its candidates who are fighting against Shettar and Savadi.
"All 224 seats are prestigious, unless you take each seat very seriously, you cannot come to power. Every single seat matters", Joshi said.
Asked if the BJP is going to make a member of the Lingayat community Chief Minister in the event of the party returning to power, he said: "Our Chief Minister is already a Lingayat leader, natural leader. He is our natural leader, he is our Chief Minister. Wherever there is a Chief Minister, we do not announce the next Chief Minister candidate which is very natural".
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Union Minister Puri says he will support if Mangaluru were to organise Energy Security summit
Mangaluru (Karnataka), Jan 11: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has urged Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta to organise an energy security summit in Mangaluru in collaboration with oil marketing companies.
Puri was addressing a session on India’s energy security at the seventh edition of the Mangaluru Literature Festival on Saturday.
He said the proposed summit could serve as an extension of India Energy Week, which he described as the “fulcrum” of the country's energy sector engagements.
“We can easily do it. If you want to organise an event here, talk to the oil marketing companies—I will support it,” the Minister said in response to a question on expanding energy summits beyond major cities.
Puri also invited the public to attend India Energy Week, scheduled next month.
“We started three years ago, and today it is the largest energy show in the world. It integrates fossil fuels, emerging technologies, and startups in the energy sector,” added Puri.
He said a permanent exhibition facility is being developed in Goa on the land provided by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), similar to Bharat Mandapam and YashoBhoomi in Delhi, to host global energy conferences.
