Former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP, said the saffron party has a bright future in the country.
Addressing his first public rally after joining the BJP at Gundlupet, which is facing by-polls on April 9, Mr. Krishna described the present leadership of the BJP including the young leaders in the party, as “inspirational”.
Mr. Krishna arrived in Mysuru by train on Monday and interacted with the media in poll-bound Nanjangud before reaching Gundlupet to share the dais with former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders.
Mr. Krishna, who was an External Affairs Minister during the UPA regime under Manmohan Singh, claimed that he had worked hard for the Congress party to come to power, but was left dejected after he was ignored by the leadership. Making common cause with former Minister V. Srinivas Prasad, who also quit the Congress to join the BJP, Mr. Krishna said a few leaders react immediately and rise in protest while a few others take some time.
He lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his commitment to development of the country and his love for the people of the country. He identified Mr. Modi’s qualities among the reasons for his entry into the BJP.
Mr. Yeddyurappa also drew appreciation from Mr. Krishna for working hard and relentlessly for the party. He said the discipline and organisational skills in the party made it work as a strong unit. “This is what will make them win the next Assembly elections in the State in 2018 and take over the reins of power in Vidhana Soudha”, he said.
Mr Krishna, who had come down heavily on the Siddaramaiah government by describing it as the “worst government” he had ever seen, appealed to the voters to bless BJP candidates in the by-polls – Mr. Prasad from Nanjangud and Niranjan Kumar from Gundlupet – and send a wake-up call to the Siddaramaiah government.
False claims, says Yeddyurappa
Meanwhile, Mr. Yeddyurappa, addressing the rally, accused Mr. Siddaramaiah of making false claims of development of Dalits and Backward Classes in the State by pointing to the unspent amount earmarked in the Budget for their welfare.
He said the BJP pursued a policy of “development for all” and listed various programmes like Bhagyalakshmi that empowered families from the poorest of the poor sections. Karnataka was poised for a change for the better and the foundation for the State to turn a new leaf will begin with the victory of the BJP in the by-polls, he added.
Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, and former Ministers Shobha Karandlaje, C.T. Ravi, V. Somanna, Srinivas Prasad and R. Ashok were among the leaders who were present.
