The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Sushma blames Congress for price rise

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Monday, Apr 28, 2008
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Karnataka

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Sushma blames Congress for price rise

Karnataka Bureau

BJP will come to power on its own, says the party leader

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Poll plan: BJP leaders H.N. Ananth Kumar, R. Ashok, Sushma Swaraj and B.S. Yeddyurappa at a public meeting in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj has charged the Congress party with failure to check price rise, and called upon people to vote for the BJP in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a public meeting in Bangalore before winding up her one-day State tour, Ms. Swaraj alleged that the Congress had been pursuing “wrong” economic policies which favoured only the rich, and increased the burden of the poor and the middle classes by triggering rise in price of essential commodities.

Women were the worst affected by the price rise. Switching over to Kannada from Hindi, she said: “The price rise has affected us so much that we have started hating festivals as we need to spend more. The poor and the middle-class families are made to pay the price for the wrong priorities of the United Progressive Alliance Government.”

The Congress had also failed to act sternly against terrorism and that had led to spreading of the menace to the southern States, especially Karnataka, she said. “Punish those who failed to protect you by punishing terrorists,” she said.

The Congress was trying to divide the country on the basis of religion, and hurting the sentiments of many by taking the stand that Lord Ram was only an “imaginary” character, she said.

BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa had presented two Budgets which were better than those presented by Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

She criticised the Janata Dal (Secular) for not transferring power to the BJP and appealed to the people to give a clear mandate to the BJP to avoid a hung Assembly.

BJP Bangalore city unit president and Jayanagar candidate B.N. Vijaykumar said that the party would provide facelift to the Puttanna Kanagal theatre in Jayanagar, and construct a new auditorium in the area.

Mr. Yeddyurappa, party national general secretary Ananth Kumar and BJP candidates for the constituencies in Bangalore city were present on the occasion.

Kicking off the party’s poll campaign at Somwarpet in Kodagu, Ms. Swaraj said that the BJP was sure to come to power on its own and B.S. Yeddyurappa would be the Chief Minister. Ms. Swaraj arrived at Somwarpet at 11 a.m. by a helicopter from Bangalore to campaign for M.P. Appachu Ranjan, BJP candidate from Madikeri constituency.

The Congress party had been procrastinating on the issue of executing death sentence to Mohammad Afzal, convicted in the Parliament attack case, Ms. Swaraj alleged. She accused the Congress of doing away with the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act.

Ms. Swaraj, who started speaking in chaste Kannada, later switched to Hindi. Her speech was translated into Kannada by the former Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy.

At the junior college grounds helipad, Ms. Swaraj told presspersons that the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) would be fighting only for the second slot.

Addressing presspersons in Belur, 40 km from Hassan, Ms. Swaraj said: “I am only campaigning for the BJP. In future too, I will not contest for the Lok Sabha from Bellary or some other place in Karnataka.”

Ms. Swaraj said that there was no infighting in the BJP and that all party workers were supporting B.S. Yeddiyurappa who would become Chief Minister if the BJP came to power.

Ms. Swaraj said that the BJP was committed to passing the Bill on giving 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament.

The BJP had given ticket to eight women in the State and five more would be included in the next list.

Ms. Swaraj, who launched the party’s election campaign in Tumkur, said, “Janata Dal (S) leaders have betrayed us. The people of Karnataka should punish them.”

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