Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)

Udupi, Feb 20: BJP national president Amit Shah on Tuesday February 20 said that the response he had received in Karnataka confirmed that BJP would be back to power in the state in the upcoming elections. He also charged the state government of stalling union government's schemes.

Addressing a convention of fishermen at Malpe here, Amit Shah said, "I have come here after visiting Kukke Subrahmanya Temple. BJP has been coming to power in every state, there has been a wave of change everywhere. However, it used to seem impossible to come to power in Karnataka, but today when I see the response in the coastal region, I feel confident that BJP will win the state elections by a huge margin."

"Attacking the Congress-led state government, he said, "In four years, chief minister Siddaramaiah indulged in only corrupt work and brought bad name to the state. But he does not have any shame and is wearing the badge of corruption like medals. He has utterly failed to develop Karnataka."

He further told the gathering, "BJP has 17 elected representatives in the parliament from Karnataka, because of the your blessings. It is the dream of PM Narendra Modi to start a blue revolution for the welfare of the fishermen, but the government in Karnataka is stalling this revolution. Be it Dalits, the poor, the Adivasis or the fishermen, the union government has launched several schemes for everyone. But the Karnataka government has ensured that the union government's schemes do not reach the people at the grassroots.

"Nobody has empowered the poor as PM Modi has. In the recent budget we announced the Rs 10,000 crore Ayushman Bharat Yojana where health insurance of Rs 5 lac will be given to the poor. Only when families are healthy will the nation develop. We have also given free gas cylinders under Ujwal scheme to 3.5 crore beneficiaries, and now we are planning to extend the benefits to 8 crore people," he said. He also outlined other schemes like housing, Jan Dhan and others undertaken by his government.

"How long will the CM try to stall PM Modi's development work? He will not last beyond April," Shah declared.

Karnataka has a coastline stretching to 3,000 km, but nothing has been done by the state for coastal development. In Gujarat we spent Rs 16,000 crore on the development of the state's coastal belt when Modi was the chief minister," he added.

Speaking of the union government's plans for fishermen community, he said, "From 2009 to 2014, the UPA government earmarked Rs 1,700 crore in the budget for fishrmen, but after BJP came to power in the centre, we released Rs 2,900 crore. We are also planning to launch a health card of Rs 50,000 each to fishermen on the lines of the Kisan card for farmers, wherein they can avail Rs 15,000 as advance. Also, earlier under the insurance scheme, fisherment used to get Rs 1 lac after paying Rs 29 as premium, now they will get Rs 2 lac for a premium of Rs 20."

Lastly, he made an appeal to the gathering to elect the BJP in the upcoming elections. "Root out the Congress government from the state and elect the BJP. For the first time in my life, I am seeing a chief minister going about wearing a watch that was obtained through corrupt means," he said in snide remark at Siddarmaiah and his Hublot watch.

Earlier in the evening, BJP workers waited at Hejamady to welcome Amit Shah, but to their disappointment, he arrived two hours late. When he finally came, he accepted their welcome while sitting in the car, after which he moved to Malpe where BJP leaders had assembled to receive him.

After the programme, Amit Shah paid a visit to Sri Vishweshateertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math and held discussions, during which Pejawar Swamiji is understood to have urged the BJP supremo to find a solution for the Mahadayi dispute and spoken on the need for promoting equal access to facilities for people of all sects including Dalits. The Swamiji even offered to call AICC president Rahul Gandhi to hold discussions on the Mahadayi issue and reach an out-of-court settlement.

Amit Shah sought the blessings of the senior swamiji and assured to look into the issues.