Bengaluru, Nov 2 (IANS): BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday said his party's 75-day, statewide rally in Karnataka was to oust the "corrupt" Congress government and bring in a "parivartan (change)" in the state.
"The rally is to bring about 'parivartan' in Karnataka -- to change the situation of the farmers, youth and the justice system in the state and to remove the corrupt Congress government in the state," Shah said addressing the party gathering here to flag off the "Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthana Yatra".
Shah's visit to the state came four days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was here on October 29, Shah was in the state capital to flag off the rally titled
Quoting a media survey without naming any details, Shah said the Siddaramaiah government was at the top as the "most corrupt government" in the country.
"The Narendra Modi government has been sending across funds to the state (which were) nearly 2.5 times more than it received during the time when the Congress ruled at the centre," Shah said, adding around Rs 2,90,500 crore was released and the Chief Minister must tell the people of the state where all this money has been spent.
Criticising the government's decision to host Tipu Jayanti on the erstwhile Mysore ruler's birth anniversary on November 10, Shah said the state government was "not interested" in the state formation day's celebrations as it was in celebrating Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary.
The state has had "no concern for security", the BJP chief lamented, adding that "Over 10 BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers were killed in the state and the stateAgovernment has had no answer."A
"People must choose that government that is focused towards taking the state ahead," Shah said, reiterating that BJP's state unit president and the party's Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa is capable of bringing "development" to the state.
Reacting to Shah's allegations of the Congress government being "corrupt", Siddaramaiah said it was "interesting" to see the "Parivartana" rally being led by Yeddyurappa and Shah, who both went to jail on criminal charges.
"It is good that BJP is going on Parivartana Yatra. Their way of doing penance for the sins of their past," the Chief Minister tweeted.A
"Interesting that Parivaratana Yatra should be led by Yeddyurappa and inaugurated by Amit Shah - both of whom went to jain on criminal charges," he said.
BJP's 75-day rally will be held across the state in two phases, an official from the state unit said.
"We are conducting the rally till January-end, covering all the 224 assembly segments to bring our party back to power in Karnataka," the official told IANS here.
The rally will cover 17 districts in the first phase and 13 districts in the second phase, which will be flagged by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Hubballi on December 21, said the official. Modi will address the rally on its last day here on January 28.
About three lakh cadres and supporters of the party will participate in the rally on motor bikes and four-wheelers, with Yeddyurappa at the forefront onboard a customised special bus.
The assembly elections in the southern state are due in April-May, 2018. The BJP came to power on its own for the first time in 2008 but lost to the Congress in the May 2013 assembly election.