Mirajuddin Patel, who assumed charge as the JD (S) State unit President on Monday, was apparently knew fully well of his new assignment: To take on the BJP and to win back the confidence of minority community.

Soon after taking charge of the party affairs in the State in Bangalore, he not only took exception to the coalition partner BJP claiming the credit of “pro-people” programmes, but accused it of being interested in promoting only the big industrialists.

“The credit of implementing pro-people programmes like waiver of farm loans and Rs 3 per kilo rice for poor should go to the coalition Government and not BJP alone. BJP is interested in only promoting big industrialists,” he stated.

He said it was because of JD (S) initiative the coalition Government took a decision to waive-off farm loans upto Rs 25,000, which no other State governments dared to do. “It is because of JD (S) leaders the State government is continuing distribution of rice for Rs 3 per kilo to the poorer sections of the society,” he said.

He also appealed to the minority communities to trust the JD (S). “I have a message for you (those belonging to minority community). It is only the father and the son (JD-S supremo H D Deve Gowda and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy) who are secular and nobody else, tust me,” he stated.

Mr Gowda has never approved of his son Mr Kumaraswamy joining hands with the BJP. Moreover, despite being with the saffron party, the JD (S) has retained its secular credentials, he claimed.

Dismissing the notion that minorities had distanced themselves from JD (S) after it allied with the BJP, Mr Patel said that even in the past, leaders like Ramakrishna Hegde and V P Singh had taken BJP’s help in coming to power. Still they had remained secular, he added.

YOUTH WING PRESIDENT

Mr Gowda announced the appointment of Aravind Dalwai as the new President of the youth wing of the party.
Thippeswamy and Umesh Katti were appointed as senior Vice-Presidents, while P C Siddanagouder as the Secretary-General.

He also hinted on the appointment of party leaders to certain boards and corporations, which was a long pending issue in the party.