Yeddy Confident of Victory in BBMP Polls, New Mayor will be BJP Man

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Mar 15: At the close of the deadline for filing nomination papers for the forthcoming elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on March 28, Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa exhuded confidence of a resounding victory for the ruling party and claimed that the next mayor of the city will be a BJP man.

"The developmental progrmames undertaken by my government during the last 21 months all over the state, especially in different parts of the city, are sure to help in giving a thumping majority for the BJP,” he said at an informal interaction with senior journalists on the eve of the Ugadi New Year festival.

"Go to any part of Bangalore, you will find developmental activities, road overbridges, flyovers, underpasses or metro rail project work as also the Cauvery drinking water supply projects going on at a brisk pace,” he said pointing out that BJP has come to be associated with development. ``Development, development and only development has been the mantra of my government. The last 21 months of my government’s functioning has proved that,” he contended.

Yeddyurappa, however, declined to comment on the frequent attempts by the ruling party to postpone the elections on one pretext or the other suggesting that the BJP was scared of facing the people. ``Elections are going to take place in less than a fortnight. Forget the past. We are now plunging headlong into election campaigning and will strive to secure an absolute majority in the 198 member BBMP,’’ he said.

The chief minister also clarified that the proposal for a five-year Mayoral term was not before the government at present. ``I can’t say what will happen in future,’’ he said in reply to a specific question.

He was upbeat on the electoral prospects of BJP in the BBMP polls and dismissed the likelihood of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s campaign on the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project impacting the ruling party. ``I have categorically made it clear to Gowda during our meeting at Krishna that not a gunta of extra land over and above the  20,193 acres to be given to Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Ltd will be given even though according to the agreement signed between NICE and KIADB on October 14, 1998 provided for granting 23,848 acres. I stand by this promise,” he said accusing the former prime minister of trying to mislead the farmers and instigate them to agitate against the government.

"I don’t know why he (Gowda) is doing this. Obviously, he is scared of BJP’s rising popularity due to the government’s pro-people policies and developmental works,” he.

Answering questions, he said the government hoped that the Justice B K Somashekara Commission inquiring into the attacks against churches and places of worship belonging to Christians in Mangalore, Udupi, Chikmagalur, Bangalore and other districts would submit its final report by the May 31 deadline.

"The term of the commission has been extended many times. We are now waiting for the final report,” he said without answering questions on whether the government intended to extend the term as requested by the commission. He also declined to comment on the interim report submitted by the commission in Mangalore on February 1 as the commission itself has revealed its findings. ``We are awaiting the final report. It is not fair on my part to comment on a judicial inquiry before receiving the final report,” he said.

Karnataka had a total 1,06,00,00 hectare or roughly 3 crore acres of agricultural land. The government has taken to establish a land bank by acquiring roughly 1 lakh acres of non-cultivable land for helping industrial enterprises to set up their undertakings in the state. Care has been taken to ensure that fertile agricultural land was not acquired under any circumstances, he said pointing out that the land bank would help in generating at least 1 lakh new job opportunities assuming that an industrial unit coming up in an acre of land provided  employment to a minimum of 25 persons as against barely 86 to 90 lakh families engaged in the agriculture sector.

Leading industrial houses in the country as well global giants like Arcelor Mittal, Posco etc have evinced interest in setting up their undertakings with mega investment proposals in the state provided they were assured sufficient land, power and other infrastructure facilities. The government is trying its best to enhance the power generating capacity and take the state to a power surplus position from that of being a chronic power deficit state. However, land is a major component that comes as an obstacle.

"If we are not able to acquire land, tell me how can we set up power projects or new industrial undertakings come up in the state. We need land to take infrastructure projects and for setting up new educational institutions. Can these come up without land acquisition unless we have some new technology or know-how to make it possible in the air?,”  he said frowning upon Gowda’s attempts to tarnish the government’s image and brand it as anti-farmer.

Yeddyurappa reeled out figures of the extent of land acquisition done in Hassan district when Gowda was chief minister and rose to become prime minister or later when his sons H D Revanna and H D Kumaraswamy were minister or chief minister respectively for setting up of IIT, airport, golf course, terminal market and many other projects. ``I am not saying these land acquisitions were wrong or that they should not be done. Land acquisition is a necessary part of life if the state has to progress, industrialise or new infrastructure facilities are to be created. As long as fertile agricultural land is not acquired and farmers are given a fair market price or consent awards are negotiated, there is no justification for objections,’’ he said.

The chief minister made it clear that he was prepared to come out with details pertaining to all land acquisitions done in the past under different chief ministers in both houses of state legislature to facilitate a thorough discussion. ``Let there be a full and frank debate so that all the facts can come out,”  he said declaring that he had nothing to hide. ``Ours is a fully transparent and open government,” he added.