Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s tour to drought-hit Nanjanagud taluk on Thursday turned out to be a show of strength.
More than 30,000 party workers, who had come in 200 buses and 100 cars, formed a human wall, depriving impoverished residents of the drought-hit regions even a glimpse of the BJP leaders.
Yeddyurappa and his team completed their visit to the villages within half an hour and spent more than two hours at the party workers’ convention, held lavishly at Chikkamballi.
Yeddyurappa, accompanied by district in-charge minister Ramadas, began this tour from Suttur mutt and proceeded to Kalkunda and Bogayyanahundi. They were embarrassed to see fresh green crops shining in rain drops in the fields. Seemingly disappointed, the leaders proceeded in their cars, followed by a convoy of 50 cars, to Kamanahalli, which was a scene in contrast.
In Kamanahalli, they saw withered fields, residents waiting in a long queue for a pot of water and a few women worried over shortage of fodder for their cattle. Ramadas and Yeddyurappa glanced at the dry fields.
The police, providing tight security to leaders, did not even let the residents approach the team to air their grievances. The residents jostled their way through the crowd to submit a memorandum.
The leaders’ next stop was Chikkamballi,where party workers of Varuna Assembly constituency had organised the convention.
A pandal was put up on a two-acre land and bottled mineral water was provided to thousands of workers.
Campaign
Drought was not the topic of the leaders’ speeches, too, at the convention. Ministers Renukacharya and C M Udasi, during their speeches, seemed to be campaigning for the BJP district unit president, Ka Pu Siddalingaiah, who is also a close associate of Yeddyurappa and possibly the BJP candidate for the coming Assembly elections.
Yeddyurappa criticised Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, saying: “Siddaramaiah should go on tour to drought-hit areas only after pressuring the Centre to waive loans to the tune of Rs 19,000 crore availed by farmers from nationalised banks.”
Siddaramaiah was on a tour not to visit the drought-hit areas, but to know if Yeddyurappa enjoyed the same popularity even after he came out of jail, said the BJP leader.
“More than 35,000 workers have assembled at his (Siddaramaiah’s) home constituency, out of love for me,” he said.
The former chief minister said he would tour 100 Assembly constituencies and submit a report to the chief minister and chief secretary.
DH News Service