BJP meet to set austere standards, shun VIP culture

BSY to stay at venue, others to share accommodation

The BJP State executive committee meeting, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in the city, is being touted as an ideal trial ground for the party to show its support for shunning VIP culture.

The proposed austere measures come shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a ban on red beacon on VIP vehicles.

While union ministers are expected to make their own arrangements for staying, State BJP president and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is being put up in a room in the Rajendra Kalamandira building which is the venue of the meeting.

The building is owned by BJP district (city) senior vice president M Rajendra who is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurants Association. All others who come from Bengaluru and also from all districts of the state, including MLAs and MLCs would share the available rooms for accommodation. There is also news of all participants, including national and state leaders sharing meals along with other invitees of the meeting.

They will also not avail services of assistants for registration at the reception counter. They will have to get their badges and kits in person. The decision to shun VIP culture has been voluntarily taken by the leaders.

District (city) BJP president Dr B H Manjunath said that when the state president himself is staying in a room in the Kalamandira, it is a message for others to follow suit. He said it will be a plastic-free and VIP culture-free meeting.

“Apart from the 20 rooms available at the Kalamandira, 300 rooms have been booked in hotels. It includes a hotel exclusively for women participants with only women staff,” he said.

Vice president H V Rajeev said that the food will be a simple fare with Mysuru specific specialities, including dishes made of millets. “A total of 670 invitations have been extended to the participants and at least 600 persons are expected to attend the meeting taking into account persons who cannot make it due to various reasons,” he said.

He said the whole city is being decked up for the event, but neither plastic flags nor flex would be used for the purpose.