Will complete term and lead BJP in 2023 Assembly polls: CM Basavaraj Bommai
New Delhi, Oct 8: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai exuded confidence on Friday that he will complete his term and lead the BJP in the 2023 state Assembly polls with the backing of the central leadership and strong party principles.
Admitting that certain lobbies tried to dominate the southern state's politics with money power in the past and are doing so even now, he said the "silver lining" is that the people of Karnataka have overthrown them with their mandate.
While leaders from the Lingayat community have played a key role in building the BJP in Karnataka, a lot of people from other castes like Vokkaliga, SCs, STs and OBCs have also joined the saffron party and are contributing a lot, Bommai said.
Addressing the "India Today Conclave" here, he said he is "most secured" since his childhood when asked if he has any fear of his government being toppled overnight like it happened in the state in the past.
The BJP leader said his father S R Bommai's tenure as the Karnataka chief minister lasted for only nine months as the Janata Party, which he belonged to, did not have a strong leadership at the Centre.
"Now, with my leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and (BJP chief) J P Nadda, we have not only got a strong central leadership but also strong party principles. I am sure that with all these factors behind me, I will not only complete this term, I will lead Karnataka upfront and bring the BJP back to power," he said.
Stating that the BJP functions in a democratic way, Bommai said, "Our principle is a strong Centre and strong states, and that makes a strong nation. All the timely changes are the need of the hour. It is not a question of any dictatorship."
On a question on the BJP-ruled states turning to Delhi for decision making, he said, "For administration, there is no question of looking at Delhi. But there are certain issues, where you have to consult. Consultation does not mean you look upon Delhi or look down Delhi. Consultation is an ongoing process."
On the trend of frequent shifting of MLAs from one party to another and yet winning elections in the state, Bommai said "changing sides" and parties has been there since the days of veteran Congress leaders S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil.
Even leaders like Ramakrishna Hedge and S R Bommai had to quit and join the BJP, he said, adding, "The course of politics and leadership has guided all these changes."
Bommai further said spending a huge amount of money in elections and the role of lobbies were always there in Karnataka.
"I should admit that there were and there are lobbies in Karnataka politics. Earlier, there was an excise lobby, then came the granite lobby and the education lobby. In between, we had a mining lobby. All these lobbies always try to dominate the state's politics with money power. That has disturbed the right kind of polity in Karnataka. Not only in Karnataka, but in several states," he said.
However, the people of Karnataka "have always overthrown them and brought the government back with people's mandate. That is the silver lining in Karnataka's politics. All the credit should go to the people of Karnataka", he added.
On frequent changes of chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, including B S Yediyurappa, Bommai said, "Change is permanent.... Yediyurappa is such a strong leader. I think only he could have decided his future course of action."
Yediyurappa single-handedly built the BJP in Karnataka, he said, adding, that the veteran leader has fought and won many battles for the saffron party in the southern state.
"He is never tired. However, he chose to pave the way for the next generation. When he was at the helm of affairs and strongly placed, he voluntarily made way for the next generation. That is the culture he brought in and that is the culture of the BJP," Bommai said.
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.
Thiruvananthapuram: An article in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece Organiser has stated that the Catholic Church of India holds more land than the Waqf Board, which has long been believed to be the second-largest landowner in the country.
The article, titled "Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board Debate," as cited by The New Indian Express, challenges the commonly held view and asserts that the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental landholder in India.
"For many years, there has been a common belief that the Waqf Board is the second largest landowner in India after the government, however, this claim does not align with the actual data on land ownership in the country. The Catholic Church of India holds the distinction of being the largest non-governmental landowner, possessing vast tracts of land spread across the country,” the article stated.
The Church is said to own approximately 17.29 crore acres (7 crore hectares) of land, with an estimated value of Rs 20,000 crore.
The article further noted the significant influence of the Catholic Church in India’s real estate landscape, listing scores of schools, hospitals, nursing colleges, and other institutions under its management. “As of 2012, the Catholic Church has 2,457 hospital dispensaries, 240 medical or nursing colleges, 28 general colleges, 5 engineering colleges, 3,765 secondary schools, 7,319 primary schools and 3,187 nursery schools in the field of education and healthcare sector in the country. Much of its land was acquired during British rule. In 1927, the British administration passed the Indian Church Act, facilitating large-scale land grants to the Church," it added.
However, the Organiser article also raised contentious issues, alleging that some of the Church's land acquisitions might have been questionable. It suggested that the Church’s charitable services, particularly in education and healthcare, could be a way of luring economically disadvantaged individuals into converting to Christianity, with some reports claiming that tribal and rural landowners were coerced into converting in exchange for Church-run services.
“Several cases have surfaced where tribal lands, once belonging to indigenous communities, were gradually transferred to Church authorities under various pretexts," the article stated.
This published write-up comes at a time when BJP leaders, particularly in Kerala, are celebrating the passing of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which they have described as a "gift" to the Munambam protesters, who are led by the Catholic Church.
Interestingly, Organiser has deleted the article after it was published.
