BJP working president J.P. Nadda on Friday said the Janata Dal (S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka had fallen under the weight of its own contradictions, dismissing claims that his party had engineered defections.
Mr. Nadda was addressing a presser to mark the first 50 days of the present Modi government, presenting a report card of the same on a day when Karnataka saw BJP State president B.S. Yediyurappa take oath as Chief Minister.
“They [Congress-JD(S)] fell under their own weight due to internal reasons. The BJP is synonymous with stability. Wherever we go, we bring stability,” he said.
Yeddyurappa age factor
Mr. Nadda played down the fact that Mr. Yediyurappa was above the 75-year age bar the party has stipulated for its leaders holding any government position.
“Mr. Yediyurappa was the leader of the BJP legislature party in the State and it was natural for him to be the party's choice for the Chief Minister’s post,” he said.
“You see, first of all he is a leader, he is an elected leader of the legislature party. Accordingly, he is taking oath. It is a continuous process and the party takes note of ongoing developments from time to time,” he stated.
The BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its president Amit Shah, had introduced the 75 years limit for ministers in the party-run governments as well as for its candidates in the recent Lok Sabha election to ease out many veterans, including L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sumitra Mahajan among others.
Asked about reports that some rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs may be accommodated by the BJP government in Karnataka as ministers, Mr. Nadda said it was for them to decide their future course of action.
He cited various decisions of the government such as tap water for every household by 2024 and further expansion of rural roads network under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to improve rural road connectivity. The many exemplary steps taken by the government had touched the lives of millions of people, he said.
Mr. Nadda also talked about the government's decision to give pension to small traders and scholarships to the children of martyrs from paramilitary forces.
