Shobha Karandlaje, MP and BJP leader, has defended party State president B.S. Yeddyurappa’s choice of office-bearers and district presidents. She was here to participate in the swearing-in of Shailendra Beldale, BJP district unit president.
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Mr. Beldale is considered close to Mr. Yeddyurappa and had contested in the last Assembly polls as a Karnataka Janata Paksha candidate from Bidar south constituency.
BJP national president Amit Shah has given full powers to Mr. Yeddyurappa to take independent decisions. The latter has thus chosen the candidates he thinks are best fit to strengthen the party, she told presspersons. To a question about party leader K.S. Eshwarappa objecting to the list of office-bearers as it was not discussed in the party core committee, Ms. Karandlaje said the party central leadership was yet to constitute a core committee to oversee the affairs of Karnataka BJP.
Later, speaking to party workers, she spoke against dissidence. “Parties including JD(S) and Congress have serious internal squabbles. If we follow them and develop differences, people will not forgive us. They will take us to task. We should all work together to achieve the target of 150 seats for the BJP in the next Assembly polls.”
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She said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was leading an “insensitive, inefficient and anti-poor government. People will teach the Congress a lesson in the coming polls.”
She said that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was delivering on its promises and gaining unprecedented popularity. “This is very different from the Manmohan Singh government that went around seeking loans from every country. Whenever Mr. Singh or his Ministers went to other countries, they were perceived as leaders with begging bowls, and laughed at. The Modi government does not have this problem. It is enjoying a great image at the international level,” Ms. Karandlaje claimed.
Outgoing president Shivaraj Gandage, MP Bhagwant Khuba, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders were present.