Senior politician and former Minister A.B. Maalakaraddi who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP received a warm welcome at the party office here on Monday. It was his first visit to the office here after joining the party.
N. Ravikumar, general secretary of the BJP State unit, Doddappagouda Patil Naribol and B.G. Patil, presidents of BJP Rural and Urban district units, respectively, Rajkumar Patil Telkur, Dattatreya Patil Revoor, Subhash Guttedar, Basavaraj Mattimud, party MLAs, Malikayya Guttedar, Shashil G. Namoshi, party leaders, welcomed Dr. Maalakaraddi by offering bouquets. Earlier, he participated in the Main Bhi Chowkidar campaign organised by the district unit of the BJP.
Addressing mediapersons on the occasion, Dr. Maalakaraddi said that he was greatly impressed by the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working for the country and had now joined his party.
“In fact, I decided a ago back to join the BJP, during the Lok Sabha polls. I had expressed my admiration of Mr. Modi’s bold initiatives and clean and corruption-free governance in a KPCC meeting itself. As per my plans, I have joined the BJP to strengthen the hands of Mr. Modi within my capacity. I am sure that Mr. Modi would assume office for the second time,” he said.
Malikayya Guttedar, a six-time MLA from Afzalpur who quit the Congress and joined the BJP ahead of the last Assembly elections, termed AICC president Rahul Gandhi an immature person and unfit for the Prime Minister’s post.
He also verbally attacked Congress leader in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge and his Minister-son Priyank Kharge.
“We joined the BJP not for making fortunes or enjoying power. We left the Congress as its leaders were hell-bent on developing their kith and kin and suppress the rest. We were fed up with the father-son politics in the Congress and hence, joined the BJP to protect our self-respect,” he said, obliquely referring to the Kharges.
Mr. Ravikumar announced that his party would have a grassroots level campaign nationwide on March 31 with a central slogan “Chowkidar Sher Hai” (The Watchman is a Lion) to counter the Congress.
