Karnataka: Shah holds roadshow in Haveri, urges people to vote for double-engine government

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hosted a roadshow in Haveri’s Ranibennur on Monday to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections. The roadshow began at City Bus Stand and ended at Sangam Circle. The former BJP president hailed the crowd from a specially built truck. Throughout the roadshow, a large number of BJP supporters and party members gathered on both sides. People also showered flowers and waved BJP flags to show their support. In his address to the public, he encouraged them to build a dual-engine administration in Karnataka.

“Congress is saying that if they come to power they will again give the reservation to Muslims. I want to ask DK Shivakumar whose reservation will they take away. But, there is no need to worry, because neither Congress will come to power, nor will they be able to take such a decision,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah held another roadshow in Tumkuru, Karnataka, as part of the BJP’s public outreach drive ahead of the May 10 state Assembly elections. At an event in Bengaluru, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party released its manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly elections, making a slew of promises, including the provision of three free cooking gas cylinders to all BPL (Below Poverty Level) families each year.

JP Nadda, the BJP’s national president, released the manifesto or vision paper in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor and Lingayat veteran BS Yediyurappa. In total, the ruling party made 16 pledges in its vision statement, including the vow to introduce the ‘Poshana’ (nutrition) scheme, under which every BPL home will receive half a liter of Nandini milk every day and 5 kg of Shri Anna-siri dhanya (millets) through monthly ration kits.

Earlier on April 29, while addressing a rally in Udupi, Amit Shah said attacked Congress and said, “For 70 years, the Congress party was stuck on the question of Ram Mandir, hanging it, misleading it. As soon as the judgment of the court came, he did the work of laying the foundation of the Ram temple.” Polling for Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to be held on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13.