The two-day meeting of the State Executive Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scheduled to begin on January 21 in Kalaburagi is scheduled to make preliminary preparations, both organisationally and politically, for the next Assembly polls in the State.
Addressing a media conference at the party office here on Wednesday, party’s State general secretary and parliamentarian Shobha Karandlaje said that the meet would focus on these issues — strengthening the party from the grassroots level, exposing the State government’s failure in addressing drought and flood issues and also in maintaining law and order, and demonetisation.
Special drive
“The executive committee will chalk out a special drive for strengthening the party from the grassroots level. The main focus will be on forming and consolidating party structures at the booth level. The booth-level committees would consist of 12 members representing different communities and women. Higher-level committees have been formed in various places,” she said.
The booth-level structures, she added, will actively participate in enrolling new voters.
Speaking at length on the second agenda, Ms. Karandlaje said that the meeting wil resolve to launch a campaign against the State government which had failed to handle natural calamities and maintain law and order.
Govt. failure
“The State government had completely failed to address the issues of drought and floods. It has even failed to submit Utilisation Certificate for the relief amount of ₹ 1,782 crore that the Union government had released last year. It doesn’t have proper plans to spend ₹ 1,520 crore that the Centre released recently as per NDRF norms,” she said.
Asked about the Union government releasing lesser amount than demanded by the State government as per NDRF norms to take up drought and flood relief works, Ms. Karandlaje said that she would mobilise all 17 Lok Sabha members of her party under the leadership of B.S. Yeddyurappa to demand the remaining funds if the State government first spent the money provided and submitted the Utilisation Certificate for it.
To a question on BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa’s recent remarks on the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, she said that party’s national leaders would look into the matter. “The State executive committee will not discuss the Rayanna Brigade and Mr. Eshwarappa’s association with it. I think that the brigade’s activities will in no way influence the party’s electoral prospects,” she said.
Party leaders Amarnath Patil, Revunaik Belamagi, B.G. Patil, Baburao Chauhan, Shashil Namoshi and others were present.
