K'taka Cong holds strategy meet; Surjewala calls Bommai "most incompetent CM"
Bengaluru, Aug 16: Terming Basavaraj Bommai the "most incompetent Chief Minister" in the entire country, Congress national General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday said his party has taken a resolve not to back down, until and unless it is able to throw out the BJP government in Karnataka, with the blessings of the people.
The AICC in-charge of Karnataka along with the party's state leadership, held a key meeting to discuss the current political situation and strategy in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly polls.
According to party sources, they are said to have discussed the strategy to be adopted during the next six months and issue-based campaigns to be held across the state, leading up to the polls.
"Senior leaders of the party today held discussions on the political situation prevailing in the state. The conclusion of the discussion is that the Bommai government has utterly failed in upholding the law and order situation in the state. The state has been pushed into lawlessness," Surjewala said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, all this has happened because Karnataka has the "most incompetent Chief Minister" in the entire country, and that person happens to be Bommai himself.
"Bommai leads a corrupt government, a 40 per cent commission government, and he also heads a government where the state has gone into a disarray on account of complete lawlessness. Organised goons and organised groups are killing people, they are killing BJP's own leaders and stabbing people, and some of it is inspired and sponsored by BJP to polarise and divide society," he added.
Along with Surjewala, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, state party chief D K Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council B K Hariprasad, Campaign Committee Chief M B Patil, Working Presidents and senior leaders were part of Tuesday's meeting, that was also attended by poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu, who is also the member of the party's 'Task Force-2024'.
Surjewala further said, what happened in Mangaluru and what is happening in Shivamogga reflects an utter failure of the Chief Minister and the law and order situation in the state, as he alleged that some of these elements are sponsored and encouraged by the BJP and the Bommai government.
Pointing at Law Minister J C Madhuswamy's leaked telephonic conversation, he asked, "what happens to a government when its own law minister says that there is no semblance of government whatsoever? What happens to a government where one minister is abusing the other minister?"
"Should such a government even remain in power for a minute?" he said, adding that the sooner with the blessings of the people of Karnataka, it is thrown out, the better it would be.
Meanwhile, KPCC campaign committee chairperson M B Patil said he would begin the first phase of his state-wide tour from Kalaburagi on August 19.
The former Minister, who would meet lawmakers, former ministers and local leaders during the tour, is also expected to visit temples, mutts, mosques, dargahs and churches to woo all sections of the society.
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.
Delhi polls: BJP releases second list of 29 candidates, features ex-CM's son, Kapil Mishra
New Delhi, Jan 11: The BJP on Saturday released its second list featuring 29 candidates for the Delhi Assembly polls, fielding Kapil Mishra, a former AAP leader now identified with hardline Hindutva politics, from Karawal Nagar.
It has fielded Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana, from the Moti Nagar constituency.
With the latest announcement, the party has so far named candidates for 58 seats of the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
The elections are scheduled to be held on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8.
Mishra, who replaced sitting party MLA Mohan Singh Bisht, made several speeches, denounced as inflammatory by rival parties, just before communal riots broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020.
Sitting BJP MLA from Laxmi Nagar seat Abhay Verma will seek reelection from the same seat. He won the constituency in 2020 with a narrow margin of just over 800 votes.
Both Mishra and Verma are Purvanchalis. Two other candidates, Bajrang Shukla from Kirari and Pankaj Singh from Vikaspuri, also belong to the same community.
Delhi BJP's Mandir Prakoshth (temple cell) chief Karnail Singh is the party's candidate against sitting AAP MLA and former minister Satyendar Jain at Shakoor Basti seat.
Former Kasturba Nagar MLA Neeraj Basoya, who recently defected to the BJP from Congress, was fielded from the same seat.
Former Delhi BJP general secretary (organisation) Pawan Sharma will contest Uttam Nagar seat that he won in 2013.
Deepti Indora, Matia Mahal, Urmila Kailash Gangwar, Madipur (SC), Shweta Saini, Tilak Nagar, Priyanka Gautam, Kondli (SC), and Neelam Pahalwan from Najafgarh are the party's women candidates so far.
The list features four former MLAs and eight sitting municipal councilors.
Former mayor Shyam Sharma was fielded from the Hari Nagar seat which has a significant number of Sikh voters.
Tickets on remaining 12 tickets will likely be announced soon after discussions on seats like Delhi Cantt, Greater Kailash and Shahdara.
Party sources said former Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi was considered for the Greater Kailash seat, although she was interested in contesting from Delhi Cantt.
भाजपा की केन्द्रीय चुनाव समिति ने दिल्ली में होने वाले विधानसभा चुनाव 2025 के लिए निम्नलिखित नामों पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की है। pic.twitter.com/STdMQZZ2VM
— BJP (@BJP4India) January 11, 2025
