Setting its eyes on the 2018 Assembly polls, the State executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday began the poll preparation process by declaring the next two years as a “fighting phase”.
A resolution adopted by the executive committee, in a meeting held for the first time after the appointment of former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as the party State president, decided to make active its cadre as well as create public awareness against the alleged failures of the Congress government through campaigns.
The resolution accused the government of failing on all fronts and said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had lost hold on the administration as well as Ministers. It took exception to the Chief Minister allegedly promising release of “development grants” to MLAs of Opposition parties who voted in favour of the Congress candidates in the recent elections to the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council.
Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda urged the party cadre to enter the “battle field” with determination and full force. However, in an obvious reference to the previous episode of intra-party dissidence that resulted in the BJP’s defeat in the 2013 Assembly polls, Mr. Gowda urged the party leaders to understand the importance of unity and introspect on the episode. “People have supported the BJP whenever it has gone to them with unity,” he said.
BJP national general secretary and State in-charge P. Muralidhar Rao made it clear that the party Central leadership was now looking at Karnataka to regain its political hold.
“We want Karnataka to be a lamp post for the BJP in South India,” he said.
