Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he would take responsibility for the party’s poor show in the Assembly elections.
“We have lost the Assembly elections despite providing good governance. Ours was an honest government that worked for the development of the State and for the welfare of people. We released over ₹5,000 crore for irrigation projects and established the Kittur Karnataka Development Board; but we failed in publicising our efforts. We could not take our projects to the people,” Mr. Bommai said.
He urged party workers to remain united and work for the BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls. “We should make united efforts to bring back Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to power. We should understand that elections to the Assembly and Lok Sabha are different. It should be our single-minded resolve [to win the elections]. We should forget the past and ensure that Mr. Modi becomes the Prime Minister again,” he said.
“Party workers should realise that Mr. Modi has provided an efficient and honest administration to the country. The BJP government at the Centre has built over 12 crore toilets and begun the process of providing piped water to every home. Already, over four million houses have got piped water. We have worked for the welfare of students and farmers. What is more, there is a sense of unprecedented security and safety in the country. It is because of Mr. Modi that Pakistan is keeping quiet,” he said.
Criticising the Opposition parties, Mr. Bommai said that nothing positive had emerged out of the leaders’ meeting in Patna. “Those leaders did not discuss anything constructive there. They only sat for hours, discussing ways to defeat Mr. Modi. What they do not understand is that neither will Mr. Modi be ever defeated nor will Rahul Gandhi ever get married. The plans of the Opposition will not succeed as it does not have a leader to challenge Mr. Modi,” he said.
Mr. Bommai said that the BJP would win over 25 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
