Modi in Karnataka to attend closing ceremony of BJP Yatra

In his seventh visit to the state ahead of the assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the closing ceremony of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra in Karnataka’s Davangere on March 25, party leaders said.

The leaders said on Saturday Modi will address a mega public rally at Davangere to mark the culmination of all four BJP Vijaya Sankalpa Rath Yatras that would have covered 8,000 km.

Union home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh are also expected to attend the ceremony, the BJP leaders said, adding that about 1 million people from the state are expected to attend the event.

On March 1, the ruling party commenced four Vijaya Sankalpa Yatras across the southern state. The four yatras were launched from four different areas – Chamarajanagar, Bidar, Belagavi, and Bengaluru. The rally covered all 224 constituencies of the state.

During his visit, Modi is expected to launch various projects in Davangere, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru. He is also expected to hold a mega roadshow in the state capital, party leaders said.

The Prime Minister will arrive in Chikkaballapur on Saturday and inaugurate the Sadguru Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, constructed for around ₹450 crore in Muddenahalli village of Chikkaballapur taluk, they added.

Union home minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the construction of the medical college in April last year.

Under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, a state-level programme will be held to distribute 15 million cards, along with the inauguration of a medical college and distribution of land rights to 22,000 families.

Questioning the frequent visits of Modi and Shah to the poll-bound state, the Leader of the Opposition in legislative council B K Hariprasad said, “We know how to run a state, and we will run our state. Where were PM Modi, and Amit Shah when there was Covid? They never came to Karnataka. Only during elections, they come to hunt for votes.”

BJP national president JP Nadda, addressing a public meeting of Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra in Chikkanayakahalli on Saturday, said while his party, led by the Prime Minister, was focusing on all round and inclusive development of the country, the Congress was still busy “promoting dynastic politics with repackaging after repackaging of Rahul Gandhi”.

Nadda said that Gandhi, unable to win elections, was alleging that democracy in India was under threat in a foreign land. “Before 2014, India was mired in corruption. There were scams like 2G, 3G, and commonwealth, among others, but today we are among the leading nations of the world,” Nadda said.

Accusing the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of rampant corruption, Nadda said that today, under the BJP, new stories of progress and development are being written, with the state emerging as the top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI), and has a leading position in innovations and startups. He also urged the people to support BJP in the upcoming elections in the state.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union minister and BJP’s election in-charge of Karnataka, said on Saturday that the culmination of the Vijaya Sankalpa Yatras in Davangere would rewrite records of turnout at political rallies.

(With inputs from agencies)