Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru Nov 4: Chief minister B S Yediyurappa inaugurated BJP’s special executive meeting here at TV Raman Pai Hall on Thursday, November 4.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said, "After Nalin Kumar Kateel took charge as state BJP president, he has visited all the districts to address the party representatives in order to strengthen the party. Party representatives need to work hard so that we are victorious in the next assembly elections.

"People have also expressed the desire of having Narendra Modi as their Prime Minister for the third term and the party will surely work to make this a reality. We all know how the coalition government worked after we were nine short of getting the majority. Later 18 leaders joined BJP in which 15 have won the elections, which made way for us to come back to power.

"The efforts of party representatives should be remembered as we bagged a record 25 seats out of 28 in Karnataka Lok Sabha elections. I urge party representatives and leaders that the upcoming elections should be taken seriously and not casually. We will strengthen the party and work for the welfare of the people. Today, BJP has received the support of people, something which has surpassed expectations.

"We are confident that we will win the Sira and RR Nagar constituencies by a margin of 40,000 and 25,000 respectively. Congress will face heavy defeat in both these constituencies and the four graduates' and teachers' constituencies," he added.

In addition, the chief minister maintained that Mangaluru is a strong base for BJP and that there is no need to tell people of the coastal belt how to strengthen the party as they already were aware on how to do that.

Yediyurappa further said, “Under Mahatma Gandhi Nagara scheme, we have released Rs 50 crore each for 10 city corporations which includes Mangaluru, as they have provision to spend up to Rs 125 crore which will be released. We have prioritized developing tourism as there is a lot of scope. We can witness a lot of changes in the next 6 months. We will even bring strict laws against religious conversion due to Love Jihad. We are taking concrete measures to curb drug mafia where a lot of students are being victims.

“Coronavirus spread is under control in the state at the moment. At the same time, we need to follow the rules such as maintaining social distance and wearing masks,” he said.

Yediyurappa heaped praises on Nalin Kumar Kateel for his work as state president and he said that was really inspiring how Nalin works.

Nalin Kumar Kateel said, “We are confident that BJP will be victorious in the bypolls at two constituencies Sira and RR Nagara. Focus will be on upcoming panchayat elections and I assure that we will bag 80% of the seats in those elections. It is not only about winning panchayat, Lok Sabha or any Assembly elections, but we should register victories in every poll booth as well.”

After the inauguration, the core committee meeting began at Hotel Ocean Pearl at 11:30 pm.

Leaders from various morchas, presidents, general secretaries, party convenors, co-convenors, heads of various cells, core committee members, and regional organizing secretaries took part in the meeting.

It is for the first time Dakshina Kannada district hosted a special executive meeting after Nalin Kumar Kateel took charge as the state BJP president and presided over the meeting.

District in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary welcomed the gathering.

Deputy chief minister Govind M Kajrol, MP and state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, BJP state spokesperson Capt Ganesh Karnik, MP Shobha Karandlaje, BJP state vice president Aravind Limbavali, ministers R Ashok, C T Ravi, and Jagadish Shettar, union ministers Prahlad Joshi and D V Sadananda Gowda, district BJP president Sudharshan Moodbidiri, Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyasa Kamath, Mangaluru North MLA Dr Bharath Y Shetty, Moodbidiri MLA Umanath Kotian, Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik, Sullia MLA Angara, Beltangady MLA Harish Poonja, Puttur MLA Sanjeev Matandoor and others were present.