BJP chief JP Nadda criticises Congress over security issues in Karnataka; urges cadres to strengthen the party from grassroots

The BJP national president was on a visit to Karnataka to attend a meeting with party workers ahead of the announcement of the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections.

Also Read: Karnataka Home Minister confirms pro-Pakistan slogans

Welcomed by party leaders

On arrival, JP Nadda received a grand welcome from the BJP’s Karnataka unit leaders including state chief BY Vijayendra at Sambra Airport in Belagavi on Tuesday.

Nadda was scheduled to arrive on Monday evening and hold a core committee meeting of the Belagavi Lok Sabha cluster meeting, however, it was postponed and held at a private hotel in Belagavi on Tuesday.

Nadda kick-started his programme by addressing party workers in Chikkodi. Then, he chaired the core committee meeting of the Belagavi cluster, in the presence of BJP national general secretary and Karnataka Lok Sabha in-charge Dr Radha Mohan Das Agarwal. Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and other leaders were present.

After the core committee meeting, Nadda held interaction with the intellectuals in Belagavi.

In his one-hour-long meeting, the party chief directed all the leaders to pace up their preparations for the parliament elections and organise more interaction programmes with the voters, aiming to consolidate the party’s vote base at the grassroots level.

Meanwhile, Nadda is said to have chaired a closed-door meeting with a section of MLAs including Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Arbhavi MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi, claimed sources in the party.

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Nadda attacks Congress government

In a scathing attack on the Congress government in Karnataka and its leadership, Nadda accused them of softness towards terrorism.

Addressing a gathering of booth-level party workers in Chikkodi, Nadda highlighted several instances of what he perceived as the Congress party’s failures and misplaced priorities in the recent tensions reported in the state.

Nadda questioned, “Are you running the outfit to speak Pakistan’s language? Are you representatives of the neighbouring country in India?”

Addressed energetic karyakartas at the Booth Samavesh in Belagavi, Karnataka. I appreciate the dedicated efforts of the party karyakartyas for their selfless commitment. We are all thankful for the opportunity to serve the largest party in the world.

The BJP government is… pic.twitter.com/TSbU3263Oh

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (Modi Ka Parivar) (@JPNadda) March 5, 2024

He criticised the Congress for being silent when “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised in the state legislature, questioning the party’s commitment to India’s interests.

He further criticised the Congress leadership, asking, “Whom are you representing? Kharge ji why are you silent?”.

Nadda emphasised the need for answers from Congress leaders regarding their stance on such issues.

Referring to recent incidents, including the blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru and the celebration of Congress leader Syed Naseer Hussain’s Rajya Sabha elections victory with “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans, Nadda accused the Congress government of being soft on terrorism.

He criticised Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra“, questioning its effectiveness when such incidents occur under the Congress’s watch.

Nadda also highlighted the delay in making the forensic report public regarding the pro-Pakistan slogans, questioning the Karnataka government’s inaction. He warned those speaking “Pakistan’s language,” stating that “Bharat Mata” and the people of Karnataka would not forgive them.

Accusing the Congress of corruption and appeasement politics, Nadda criticised the Karnataka government’s move to impose taxes on Hindu temples and labelled it as an “ATM government” collecting funds for Delhi’s party coffers.

Highlighting the BJP’s commitment to its ideology and principles, Nadda cited examples such as the abrogation of Article 370 and the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He portrayed the BJP as the only party in the country rooted in ideology, contrasting it with what he called the dynastic and corrupt practices of the Congress.

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‘Consolidate party’s vote base at grassroot level’

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nadda asked all the party leaders of the Belagavi Lok Sabha cluster to invest themselves more at the grassroots and with the beneficiaries of the Union government schemes in order to consolidate the party’s vote base.

Nadda chaired the core committee meeting of the Belagavi Lok Sabha cluster at a private hotel. The incumbent MPs of Chikkodi, Belagavi and Bagalkot were present, however, Vijayapura MP Ramesh Jigajinagi did not turn up for the meeting owing to health issues.

Terdal MLA Siddu Savadi told South First: “The party’s national president spoke only about the election preparations for the upcoming parliament elections. He did not utter a word about the probable nominees for the four constituencies in the Belagavi cluster.”

“He asked all the leaders to organise more interaction programmes with the beneficiaries of the Union government schemes. He directed the leaders to work towards strengthening the party base at the grassroots in order to increase voter turnout in the elections,” added Savadi.

ಬೆಳಗಾವಿಯಲ್ಲಿಂದು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @JPNadda ಜೀ ಅವರ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ವಲಯದ ಕೋರ್ ಕಮಿಟಿ ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಲೋಕಸಮರದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಚಂಡ ದಿಗ್ವಿಜಯ ಸಾಧಿಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿನ ಸಿದ್ಧತೆಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಕಾರ್ಯತಂತ್ರಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಚರ್ಚಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.

ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ರಾಜ್ಯ… pic.twitter.com/FUXMgvgEYu

— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (Modi Ka Parivar) (@BYVijayendra) March 5, 2024

He further said: “He also collected the ground-level information about the party’s status in each constituency from the local leaders. He also shared inputs as well.”

“The deliberations were largely made about the preparations for the Parliament elections. He did not disclose any action plan or strategy but gave an idea about how to kick-start the campaign at grassroots level,” elaborated Savadi.

On anonymity, another senior BJP leader told South First: “Nadda did not give any special or strict instructions to the leaders over the unity in the party, considering the set-back in the Assembly elections in Belagavi cluster.”

“He held closed-door meetings with some of the MLAs including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Balachandra Jarkiholi. The state party unit has also given a report to the party chief about the shortlisted candidates, where around eight to nine new faces are expected,” added the BJP leader.

(With PTI inputs)