Daijiworld Media Network - Belagavi (MS)

Belagavi, Apr 14: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah was 'forced' to change his assembly constituency from Varuna to Chamundeshwari because people in the state favour BJP, claimed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah.

Addressing the media at Kittur in Belagavi district, Shah said there is an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling Congress and people will elect BJP in the forthcoming polls and B S Yeddyurappa would become the chief minister.

Shah, who has undertaken Mumbai-Karnataka tour, was speaking after offering garland to the statue of Kittur Rani Chennamma, which is situated by the state of national highway near here.

"Realising the people in Karnataka are not in favour of him, Siddaramaiah has changed his assembly constituency and people will oust Congress," he claimed.

"Karnataka will be a leading state after BJP forms the strong government with development programmes under the able leadership of Yeddyurappa," Shah said.

Continuing his jibe at Congress, Shah further said, "Siddaramaiah said that he would contest from Chamundeshwari constituency. However, now he is searching for other constituencies because he is scared of the people's outrage."

"People are expressing their dissatisfaction with the government. In the places where I have had meetings, people are against the chief minister and showering their blessings on B S Yeddyurappa. Chief minister Siddaramaiah is facing a wave against his administration in Karnataka. People of the state are expressing their unhappiness and have given a message of victory to BJP even before the elections," he said.

"Veerarani Kittur Chennamma ignited the courage of fighting the British well before the mutiny of 1857. Chennamma's sacrifice in the history of our struggle for independence is history. I am happy that I have visited such a holy land of Kittur for the first time in my life."

There is a new spirit among the BJP cadre in the district of Belagavi as more people than expected all the meeting of Amit Shah throughout the district. It is a really positive development that all the leaders of the district participated in these meeting keeping aside their indifference.

Amit Shah, who had a hectic schedule arrived two hours late to Kittur. However, people were waiting eagerly to hear him. After the function at Kittur, he visited Nandagad of Khanapur taluk and paid his respects at the tomb of Sangolli Rayanna and collected information about the sacrifice and fight of Rayanna. He did not disappoint his fans and activists of the party, who came to see him and tried to get the support of Rani Chennamma and Rayanna community by mingling with them freely.

Roadshow at Gokak

The most important itinerary of the tour of Belagavi district was the roadshow of BJP at Gokak. This was a question of prestige for the BJP leaders of the state. This programme was arranged as a direct confrontation with Ramesh Jarkiholi, district in-charge minister from the Congress party.

Scores of people gathered on both sides of the show right from the afternoon to see Amit Shah. Various folk artists gave colour to the roadshow. But the star attraction was the participation of BJP MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi.

After the roadshow at Gokak, Amit Shah spoke at the women's conference at Nippani.

Amit Shah was accompanied by B S Yeddyurappa, former chief minister, B L Santosh, national joint organizing secretary of BJP, Anant Kumar Hegde, union minister, Dr Vishwanath Patil, district president of BJP and members of parliament Prahlad Joshi, Prabhakar Khore and Suresh Angadi.

'No room for dissent in BJP, work for party candidates'

Amit Shah on Friday asked his party leaders to shun differences and work unitedly for another 29 days to ensure the party's victory in the state assembly elections.

"There is no scope for differences in the BJP. Whoever is the party candidate, work for him or her in the interest of the nation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he was quoted as telling a party workers' convention in Mudhol town of Bagalkot district.

"The party's victory in the Karnataka assembly elections will be the precursor to the 2019 parliamentary elections," Shah said. Shah had asked media persons to leave the venue before beginning his speech.

Addressing a women's convention in Nippani town of Belagavi district later in the evening, Shah said AICC president Rahul Gandhi was asking for an account of the four years of the Narendra Modi government, but people of Karnataka want an account of what the Nehru-Gandhi family has given the country. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had failed to give LPG cylinders and stoves to poor village women during the 55 years of Congress rule, he said.

Shah said Modi, who came from a poor family, knew the plight of poor women and freed 6.75 crore women from cooking on a traditional 'chullah' by giving them LPG cylinders and stoves. Since open defecation is shame, especially for women, the central government constructed over 7.50 crore toilets in the past four years. This is the commitment of the BJP government to women, he said.

Accusing the Congress government in Karnataka of little concern for the safety of women, Shah said, "When I was in Bengaluru and Dharwad, women complained to me about rowdies attacking them in daylight."

Shah appealed to all women who had gathered for the convention to call at least 50 people and ask them to vote for the BJP.

Earlier in the day, the BJP president likened his party's fight against corruption to the struggle of Rani Chennamma and Sangolli Rayanna against the British.He was speaking to media persons after visiting the tomb of Sangolli Rayanna in Nandagad village of Khanapur taluk, Belagavi district. He also visited Kittur fort, where he garlanded a statue of Rani Chennamma.