Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, Apr 24: Karnataka state BJP president and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday April 23 expressed confidence that BJP would perform well in the upcoming Kerala assembly elections. 

Addressing BJP party workers at BC Road while on his way to Kalladka to participate in the inaugural programme of Sri Rama Mandira, he said, "BJP would win in 10 to 15 constituencies in Kerala." 

This was his first visit to Dakshina Kannada after taking charge as state BJP president.

Lambasting the Karnataka state government, he said, "Instead of strengthening Lokayukta, it has formed the Anti-Corruption Bureau with an intention to protect the corrupt.

"Though there are irregularities to the tune of several crores of rupees in Wakf properties, the government is reluctant to table the Anwar Manippady report in the House," he added.

"There is drought all over the state. There is scarcity of drinking water everywhere. The state government has completely failed in solving the problems of drought even though the union government has already released Rs 1,400 crore for the purpose," he said.

Congress-free Karnataka: He called upon the activists to start working immediately towards making Karnataka free of Congress by winning more than 150 seats in the next assembly elections. "You should strengthen the party by conveying the achievements of the union government to every house.
"When I was the chief minister, I had allotted a special package of Rs five crore for the development of Bantwal town municipality, besides undertaking other works such as polytechnic college, first grade college, pre-university colleges, fire brigade, upgrading of Bantwal community health centre as a hundred-bed hospital etc," he recalled.

Responding positively to the woes of Mangaluru Ganesh Beedi workers and label workers over the new rule on statutory pictorial warning, he said he would meet the union health minister along with MPs Nalin Kumar and Shobha Karandlaje and hold discussions during the next parliament session.

Yeddyurappa was welcomed near BC Road-Kaikamba entrance and taken in an open jeep rally till BC Road bus stand. Thousands of BJP activists participated. District BJP president Pratap Simha Nayak, MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel, Shobha Karandlaje, BJP leaders Rajesh Naik, state BJP vice-president Sulochana G K Bhat, constituency committee president G Ananda were present.