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Fearing sabotage by govt, BJP to hire only pvt vehicles to ferry people for Modi rally

Party fears govt may put spokes in its wheels if it takes govt buses
Last Updated 27 January 2018, 18:09 IST

The BJP on Saturday decided to hire only private buses to ferry people to its convention to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on February 4, the first such ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.

A preparatory meeting chaired by party state president B S Yeddyurappa was held on Saturday. BJP functionaries from 16 districts of southern Karnataka were invited to participate in the meeting. According to party sources, the general opinion was that the state government will try to scuttle the rally by preventing people from reaching Palace Grounds, the venue of the convention.

The party has been stating that the bandh call given on February 4, seeking early resolution of the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute, which coincides with the prime minister's rally, is "state sponsored". The sources said the party will not depend on state-run buses in view of the bandh call. People from the 16 districts will be ferried only in private buses and vehicles.

On Friday, the BJP performed 'bhoomi puja' at the Palace Grounds ahead of Modi's rally. The BJP leaders performed several yagas and homas to ensure that there were no pitfalls during the event as pro-Kannada groups were planning to observe a bandh.

The BJP held the valedictory of its Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthana Yatra in Mysuru on Thursday, despite a statewide bandh. Initially, the BJP leaders were apprehensive about the attendance at the Mysuru rally as it coincided with the bandh call, but much to their relief, the turnout was good.

Outreach programme

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Malleswaram MLA and convenor of the party's Nava Karnataka Janapara Shakti campaign Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said the outreach programme had so far reached 40 lakh people.

The campaign proposes to bring out a vision document for every constituency incorporating views of 500 to 1,000 influential people from different professions and financial segments, in an effort to understand issues at the constituency level.

"Till date, the campaign has reached more than 40 lakh people through SMS and social media. We have held events in 40 constituencies, including Tumakuru, Puttur, Arabhavi, and Kushtagi. Sector events such as health sector meet, academicians and educationalist meet, youth empowerment meet among others have been held," the BJP leader said.

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(Published 27 January 2018, 17:54 IST)

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