Sounding bitter, Yeddyurappa lashed out at the Opposition for persistently “harassing” him and trying to oust him.
The chief minister, who addressed the State-Level Worker’s Convention organised by the Karnataka State Savitha Samaja here on Tuesday, said anyone else in his shoes would have called it a day by now.
“Despite the continued attacks, I have managed to brave the odds. I am now standing before you people. It’s not an easy feat, anybody else would have crumbled. They have refused to put an end to their political vengeance.
“I am the first chief minister in the country to have banned export of ore, for which I should be awarded the Nobel Prize! But all I get is criticism. God will not forgive them (Opposition leaders),” Yeddyurappa said.
Delivering an emotionally-charged political speech, he doled out several sops for the Savitha Samaj community, including the construction of 10,000 houses during this year.
“Successive governments have neglected backward communities like yours. They have systematically left you and your children behind election after election. The BJP government has ensured that all backward communities are well catered to. This does not mean that the Centre has given me the responsibility to print currency notes. I have managed to draw up these schemes, mainly through the revenue generated by the taxpayers. My treasury is full. There is no constraint for funds,” he claimed.
Eventually becoming visibly fidgety, Yeddyurappa,after his tirade against the Opposition, declared that he would pray to Lord Venkateshwara for the welfare of the community and left the stage in a giffy.
When reporters persisted with their questions, Yeddyurappa brushed them off with: “I will pray for the media as well,” even as he rushed to catch his special flight to Tirupati.
Govt says it will ban word ‘hajama’
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the State Government would shortly issue a government order, banning the word ‘hajama’, used derogatorily against the Savitha (barber) community people.
Addressing the State-Level Workers’ Convention organised by the Karnataka State Savitha Samaj, Yeddyurappa said the word would be removed from the Kannada vocabulary. His other promises included building 10,000 houses for the members of the community across the State; to move it from the 2(A) category of the backward classes to category 1 of the most backward category; to provide grants for the purchase of ‘nadaswara’ and ‘dolu’ instruments; and reserving two rooms in every new shopping complex for them.