Rattled by Siddaramaiah bash, BJP mulls its own mass show

Siddaramaiah's birthday celebration at Davangere drew lakhs of people and BJP MLAs want the saffron party to have its own display of mass

The ruling BJP is under pressure to hold a massive public rally of its own to showcase saffron might after Congress leader Siddaramaiah's show of strength at Davangere is said to have tolled alarm bells.

Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday celebration on August 3 at Davangere drew lakhs of people and BJP MLAs like M P Renukacharya want the saffron party to have its own display of mass.

The BJP is already chalking out plans to hold region-wise and district-wise conventions, after its scheduled public rally at Doddaballapur on the occasion of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai completing one year in office on July 28 was cancelled following Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru's murder.

Renukacharya, the CM's political secretary, told reporters he has asked Bommai and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel to hold a big event in Davangere. "I have requested for a valedictory event in Davangere which will be held on a big scale to showcase our government's pro-people programmes in irrigation, agriculture, school infrastructure and healthcare," Renukacharya, who represents Honnali in Davangere, said. He added that even party workers want a big event.

The BJP is said to be planning a massive rally towards the end of this month.

"This won't be a counter to Siddaramaiah’s birthday celebration," Renukacharya said. "We are not scared. In fact, Congress leaders themselves opposed Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday event. The Congress has several camps -- Siddaramaiah's, D K Shivakumar's, Mallikarjun Kharge's and one comprising neutrals," he said.

Renukacharya's call for a big event comes a day after former chief minister B S Yediyurappa is learnt to have told Union Home Minister Amit Shah that Siddaramaiah's show of strength cannot be taken lightly ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls. "The number of people who attended Siddaramaiah's event exceeded expectations. Their leaders showed unity. This must be viewed as a cause for alarm," Yediyurappa is said to have conveyed to Shah, who was in the city on Thursday.

It is also said that Yediyurappa grumbled before Shah that party leaders are not focusing on organisational matters and that he is not being allowed to do a full-fledged state tour to mobilise support for the BJP.

Also, Shah is said to have garnered opinions from party leaders on choosing Kateel's successor as BJP state president. Kateel's term is set to end by August 20.