Bengaluru:Calling Karnataka the "gateway" for BJP to the south of India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that the party will go alone in the 2023 assembly polls, and said it will be a direct contest as voting for JD(S) is like casting the ballot for Congress.
Shah was addressing the BJP's booth presidents and booth-level agents convention at the Palace Ground in Bengaluru. He urged people to decide whether they are standing with a "party of patriots", referring to the BJP, or with "tukde tukde gang" under the leadership of Congress.
"People of Karnataka will have to decide about the state's security and save our youth," he said. "PM Modi and BJP are redeveloping Kashi, Kedarnath, Badrinath along with Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, while there are people who have made a hero out of Tipu Sultan," he said, adding that "people of Karnataka will have to decide between them."
"There are clearly two sides and it is a straight fight this time. Journalists say there is a triangular fight. I said no, it is a straight fight, because voting for JD(S) means voting for Congress. So, is it a straight fight or not?" Shah asked.
Accusing the JD(S) of spreading rumours claiming that BJP will tie up with them, while addressing party workers here, he said: "I have come to tell the workers and the people of Karnataka that we will not go with any party. We will fight alone and form the government on our own."
The former BJP president, expressed happiness about the response during his visit to Mandya, in the 'Old Mysuru' region of the state, where the party is considered to be weak. He told party workers to concentrate on their booths like Arjuna in the epic Mahabharata could see only the bird's eye while aiming his bow during an archery session.
"You strengthen your booth and Modiji will strengthen the country." For Congress, power is an instrument for corruption, while BJP sees it as an instrument to serve the poor, the Union Minister said, while making an appeal to workers to take the work, programmes of the Central and state governments, with a message of clean administration to the people.
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Highlighting BJP's win in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and a tremendous victory in Gujarat, Shah told party workers: "If you want to form a government, don't form an incomplete one, form a government with a full two-thirds majority."
"I have seen the mood of the people of Karnataka. People are ready (to support us), we need to go to them," he added. Further calling Congress and JD(S) two sides of the same coin he said, "On voting for JD(S), Kumaraswamy (JDS leader) will sit on the lap of Congress. Give an opportunity for BJP to form a government with full majority, we will give a patriot government by ending corruption, parivaarvad (dynasty politics) and jaativad in five years."
Noting that in the 2018 assembly polls, people of Karnataka made BJP the single largest party, but there was a slight shortage of numbers, Shah said, as it always happens Congress and JD(S) which fought each other during election, "sat on each other's lap to keep BJP away from power." He was referring to the 2018 assembly election throwing up a hung verdict following which, Congress and JD(S) that had fought each other during the elections, joined hands to form a coalition government to keep BJP out of power.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, party's national General Secretaries Arun Singh and C T Ravi, among others were present at the event. Listing pro-people and pro-poor programmes of the BJP government, Shah said, "Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah, Congress President speak about the poor. You have been Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Congress ruled for four generations. Come with your account, our Yuva Morcha workers will give you an account on the streets of Bengaluru."
Earlier on Friday, Shah asked party leaders from the Old Mysuru region of the state to ensure that the BJP emerges as the "number one party" there. The BJP, considered to be weak in the Vokkaliga community-dominated Old Mysuru region, is focusing on this belt to gain a complete majority in the 2023 Assembly polls.
"For about three hours, Amit Shah held a meeting regarding the party organization in the Old Mysuru region, the number of seats to win and the preparations for it. He spoke to ministers, ex-ministers, sitting MLAs, ex-MLAs and leaders, and gathered inputs from them," Revenue Minister R Ashoka told reporters after the meeting late Friday night.
"He (Shah) said the dominance of the JD(S) and the Congress in Old Mysuru should end and the BJP should emerge as the number one party. With this plan, he will once again come here next month," Ashoka said, adding that the meeting will inspire the party's leaders and cadres.
During the meeting, Shah gave his nod to the politically significant cabinet expansion in Karnataka aimed at pacifying disgruntled BJP MLAs like Ramesh Jarkiholi and KS Eshwarappa as the saffron party gears up for the Assembly election scheduled to be held in May next year.
The meeting was attended by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and the party's general secretary in-charge Arun Singh among others.
