The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah concluded his two-day Udupi visit in an attempt to gain an upper-hand over Congress in the upcoming Karnataka elections. He addressed the social media volunteers of the party here at Ammanni Ramanna Shetty Hall at the social media conclave organised by BJP’s state unit on Wednesday.
The party’s chief ministerial candidate in the poll-bound state, B S Yeddyurappa welcomed the party supremo at the event. In his welcome address, he took a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and called him a ‘kid’. “By bringing that bachcha in Karnataka, we now know that we are going to win more than 150 seats here,” he said.
He also alleged that the Siddaramaiah government is the most corrupt government in the country and is overlooking the apathy of the poor. “Congress is least interested in eradicating poverty. Even after 70 years of independence, these people are still living in the slums. It shows the grand-old party’s concern for the slum dwellers. It is not an election gimmick, we genuinely want to help these poor people,” said Yeddyurappa, leaving no stone unturned to get back to power.
The conclave, organised to charge up the party volunteers to spread awareness about the work and policies of the central government, was a closed interactive session between the party chief and the BJP cadre, which the media was barred from covering. Before the session commenced, the media persons were asked to vacate the venue.
Bathed in saffron colour, the hall was packed with a brigade of local BJP leaders and supporters who were chanting slogans like ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande maatram’. The local leaders tried to keep the crowd engaged as the 53-year- old arrived late due to high fever.
Shah’s visit to Udupi was a part of his tour to the coastal region of the southern state to flag off BJP’s campaign in the communally sensitive area for the upcoming assembly elections in the months of April and May.
He had arrived in Udupi on February 20 and had addressed a rally for the fishermen community at the Malpe beach. This pre-emptive rally was organised to lure the votes from the community as it has a significant presence in the Karavali region, which comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada.