BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has joined the election campaigning for party nominee Ramesh Jigajinagi who is seeking re-election from Vijayapura Lok Sabha Constituency.
Mr. Yatnal, whose name figures on the list of BJP star campaigners, had remained away from campaigning for some time. He was supposedly upset with the party State leader B.Y. Vijayendra and his father and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.
When his party colleagues were crisscrossing the State attending rallies, Mr. Yatnal’s social media handles were full of his pictures tending to cows in the Sri Siddheshwar Samsthe Goshala in Vijayapura.
He said that his opposition to the State party leadership was an ideological one and he was vocal about it. During a recent visit to Karwar, Mr. Yatnal said that the State BJP leadership was set to change after the Lok Sabha polls as “most party workers and leaders” were upset with the father and son team.
In an interaction with journalists in Vijayapura last week, Mr. Yatnal clarified that he had nothing against Mr. Jigajinagi but he was not happy about the recommendations of some names that were supposedly made by Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Vijayendra.
“However, despite all this, the BJP will gain a majority and Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third time. Nothing can stop it,” he said.
At a campaign meeting in Vijayapura on Thursday, Mr. Yatnal said that the BJP has gained popularity as it has led a corruption-free government at the Centre. “Mr. Modi is certain to return as Prime Minister,” he said.
“India has made great strides in various sectors in the last 10 years of BJP rule. Its achievements in the fields of economic reform, global recognition, corruption-free administration and welfare schemes have won wide acclaim,” he said.
“Mr. Modi is the favourite leader of people not just in India but in the whole world. The common man is saying that Mr. Modi should become Prime Minister once again,” he said.
He was addressing party workers and others at a meeting of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Mahashakti Kendras of five wards in the city.
“Congressmen have no single valid accusation against the Modi government. Our corruption-free administration has kept the mouths of the Congressmen shut. He said that while successive governments created only 400 universities in the country since Independence, the Modi government has set up over 1,100 universities in the last decade itself. As many as 41 Vande Bharat trains are running,” he said.
“The number of medical colleges in the country has increased from 384 to 700. From 74 airports in the past, we have 154 airports now in the country, including the one in Vijayapura. Metro trains have been extended to 20 cities from five in the past. During the UPA period, the total length of national highways was 96,000 km, but today it has crossed the 1.50 lakh km. Over 3.75 lakh km of rural roads have been developed,” he said.
Development work
Mr. Jigajinagi said that he has got over ₹ one lakh crore for the development of his constituency. “I have ensured the establishment of the NTPC power unit at a cost of ₹42,000 crore, permanent drinking water supply for 76 dry villages in Indi, construction of roads, national highways, railway lines, airport, among others,” he said.
He said that it was his last election. “Please allow me to serve you for the third time. It is my last wish,” he said.
He said that the Congress Ministries at the Centre in the past were engaged only in corrupt activities and not development.
