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CM unveils schemes on one year anniv of his government
Bommai had decided to cancel the grand plans to celebrate the day in the presence of BJP national president JP Nadda and others, but decided to cancel it in the early hours of Thursday after murder of a party worker, Praveeen Nettaru, in Dakshina Kannada, about 350 km from Bengaluru.
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday announced a series of schemes and programmes for various sections of society in a low-key press conference to commemorate the completion of one year of his government.
Bommai had decided to cancel the grand plans to celebrate the day in the presence of BJP national president JP Nadda and others, but decided to cancel it in the early hours of Thursday after murder of a party worker, Praveeen Nettaru, in Dakshina Kannada, about 350 km from Bengaluru.
“I cancelled the first anniversary celebrations of my government driven by my conscience in the backdrop of the murder of young BJP leader Praveen. The decision to cancel the function at Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha and the ‘Janotsava’ convention at Doddaballapur was conscientious in the background of grief and anguish being expressed by party activists and the people,” Bommai said.
The chief minister said it was the completion of his one year in office and three years of the BJP (two of which were under BS Yediyurappa) and it was his duty to inform the people of the state on what he has achieved so far and his plans for the imminent future.
The decision to keep a low-key press conference was also to contain the growing anger of his own party workers who have accused the state government of not doing enough to protect them from “anti-social” and anti-Hindutva elements who have systematically targeted right-wing workers across the state, especially the communally sensitive coastal districts.
“The ‘Raitha Vidya Nidhi’ scholarship scheme launched for the first time in the country has benefited about 8.50 lakh students from farmers’ families last year and it would reach 9.80 lakh students this year. The scheme has brought a new hope in the lives of farmers to educate their children,” Bommai said, explaining the impact of his first scheme as chief minister after he replaced Yediyurappa on July 28 last year.
“We have resolved to build a prosperous Karnataka for the development of all through comprehensive welfare programmes and initiatives to boost the economy,” he said.
“For the first time in the state budget programmes have been put on implementation mode within one month and many of the programmes are on the track within 4 months after the budget presentation.”
The Bommai government has been fighting one crisis after another as infighting within the party and government, allegations of corruption, targeting of minorities and other charges continue to pile up against the BJP’s rule in Karnataka.
The Congress had coined the term “Brashtotsava” or festival of corruption under Bommai even though the BJP had called the event “Janotsava” or festival of people.
“The government, which did not create a pro-people plan, was going to show artificial popular support called Janotsava. But the real outrage of the people was witnessed as proof of the government’s failure. The urgency of cancelling the program in the middle of the night is like holding a mirror to the real achievement of this government,” Priyank Kharge, Congress legislator and chief of the party’s communications, said on Thursday.
Bommai has been accused of fanning communal passions to deflect attention away from the lack of development in the run up to the 2023 assembly elections, in which the chief minister and the BJP face challenges from within and the Congress in its bid to return to power.
