PM to visit Karnataka on March 25, to address mega rally at Davangere
Bengaluru, Mar 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday his seventh this year during which he will take part in various official events and address a mega public meet organised by the BJP.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the poll schedule for Assembly elections, due by May, in the next few days.
Modi will inaugurate 'Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research' at Chikkaballapur, and later he will inaugurate Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Krishnarajapura Metro Line of Bangalore Metro and also undertake a ride in the train.
He will then proceed to the district headquarters town of Davangere and address a public meeting, to mark the culmination of BJP's 'Vijay Sankapla Yatre'.
According to BJP sources, this is said to be the first party meeting which the PM will be attending, since the poll preparations began in Karnataka.
A total of 10 lakh people are expected to participate in the rally, Davangere BJP MP G M Siddeshwar said and added that about three lakh people will participate from Davangere district alone.
Davangere is already dotted with saffron hues and the pandal has been erected in 400 acres of land next to GMIT College.
BJP State General Secretary Mahesh Tenginakai claimed that the four 'Vijaya Sankalpa Yatres', which began from four different directions across the state, in specially designed vehicles or "Rathas", have been successful.
He said, a total of 5,600 kms were covered by the Yatre, in which millions of people attended. "We have reached 224 constituencies."
According to a party release, for the rally, a large-scale catering arrangement has been made and 400 counters will be opened. He said a thousand cooks have been assigned, and 44 places have been identified for parking.
Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday bash was also held at Davangere, which is in the central part of the state, in August last year, which was attended by a large crowd.
Following that large scale event, pressure has been mounting on the BJP by its local leaders to organise an even bigger public meet in the region, ahead of Assembly polls, according to sources.
The Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR), which will be inaugurated by the PM on Saturday, has been established by Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence at Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, Chikkaballapur.
Situated in a rural area and established with a vision of de-commercialising medical education and healthcare, SMSIMSR will provide medical education and quality medical care - completely free of cost - to all. The institute will start functioning from the academic year 2023, an official release said.
The 13.71 km stretch from Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro to Krishnarajapura Metro Line of Reach-1 extension project under Bangalore Metro Phase 2, will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister at Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro Station.
Built at a cost of around Rs 4250 crores is expected to enhance ease of mobility and reduce traffic congestion in the city, the release said.
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This party wants to be voice of 'mard' in LS polls
Lucknow (PTI): Unlike other political parties, winning or losing elections does not matter to the Mera Adhikaar Rashtriya Dal (MARD), which has jumped into the electoral battle to be the voice of the ‘mard’ and to defend men’s honour.
MARD has lost deposits on all seats it has contested so far since it was formed in 2018 but its leaders say they are undeterred by elections losses.
The party has released its ‘MANifesto’ for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls with the slogan "Beton ke samman me, ‘mard’ utre maidan me" (In honour of sons, men have stepped on to the battleground).
The party has so far announced candidates for three seats - Lucknow, Ranchi and Gorakhpur.
The MARD party has previously contested in seven different elections – Lok Sabha polls in Varanasi and Lucknow in 2019, bypoll in Bangarmau assembly seat in 2020, assembly polls in Bareilly, Lucknow North, Bakshi Ka Talab (Lucknow) and Chauri Chaura seats in 2022.
"We have jumped into the fray in honour of men, to raise the voice for those who are harassed and exploited in the name of women’s security. Winning and losing does not matter to us," MARD party national general secretary Ashutosh Kumar Pandey told PTI.
When asked about the fate of his party candidates contesting polls this time, he candidly accepts, "This time too, they can lose their deposits."
"We don't have a lot of resources and we also do not take donations. Our candidates contest on their own expenses. The benefit of contesting the polls is that now more parties are coming to raise the issues of men," Pandey said.
Kapil Mohan, the party’s national president, said men are "suppressed" in a bid to "empower half the population”. The party wants to highlight this issue so that people pay attention to it, he said.
In the party ‘MANifesto’, the party has promised that a separate Men's Welfare Ministry and National Men's Commission will be created so that before any policy or law is formulated, the point of view of men is taken into account.
"It will help in formulating schemes keeping in mind the health, security and honour of men," Pandey added.
The party has also promised a Men's Security Bill to save men from exploitation by “laws made for women”.
To ensure that men's side is heard, Pandey said the party has promised for a "Men power line" on lines of Women power line – a helpline which provides immediate assistance to women in cases of harassment, stalking, etc.
The party has also promised to promote self-reliance of women so that men are not “harassed in the name of alimony”, Pandey said.
Pandey claimed over 200 men commit suicide every day “as they are not heard properly” by anyone. People will be more aware about men's rights slowly and that was their objective, he said.
