Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow on Tuesday in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout constituency as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka. The Home Minister was seated on a specially designed vehicle and greeted the people along with Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya. A large number of BJP supporters and party members gathered on both sides throughout the roadshow.
On Monday, Mr. Shah held three roadshows in Haveri, Tumkuru, and Shimoga. While addressing the people, he urged them to form a “double-engine government” in the state of Karnataka. The ruling party released its manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly polls on Monday, making a host of promises including the provision of three free cooking gas cylinders to all Below Poverty Level (BPL) families annually.
The manifesto was released by BJP’s national president JP Nadda in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor and Lingayat stalwart BS Yediyurappa. The ruling party made 16 promises in its vision document which promised to launch the ‘Poshana’ (nutrition) scheme through which every BPL household will be provided with half a liter of Nandini milk every day and five kg Shri Anna-Siri dhania (millets) through monthly ration kits.
However, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram cautioned the people of Karnataka against the BJP’s poll manifesto promising Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), calling these topics “a pernicious agenda” of the ruling party to divide and polarize the state. BJP’s election manifesto for Karnataka stated that they will implement UCC in Karnataka based on the recommendations given by a high-level committee, which is to be constituted for the purpose. They also promised to introduce the National Register of Citizens in Karnataka and ensure the speedy deportation of all illegal immigrants in the state.
Addressing a press conference, Chidambaram termed UCC and NRC as a “pernicious agenda that is creeping into the south of India” and said they (BJP) are looking for a gateway in Karnataka. He added that the BJP will try to enter other states including Tamil Nadu using UCC and NRC, and appealed to the people of Karnataka to resist and stop the entry of this “sinister, pernicious agenda” into Karnataka.
Polling for the Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to be held on May 10, and the votes will be counted on May 13. The upcoming elections are crucial for both the BJP and Congress as they are looking to establish their dominance in the state.