HUBLI: Pledging to work for the upliftment of backward class, minorities, women and unorganised sectors, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who celebrated his 70th birthday here on Sunday, left no stone unturned in attacking the Opposition for “hatching a conspiracy” against his government.
Stating that he was not after power, Yeddyurappa said, “Without power I would tour the state and build the party. We are not seeking any power...
we would build the party together in the state,” he said, and added that there should not be any confusion about the convention.
Thanking his followers and fans for having boosted his morale by organising such a mega convention in the heartland of North Karnataka, Yeddyurappa said he brought in many programmes for the welfare of labourers, weavers, organic farmers and the downtrodden.
Referring to JD (S) leaders Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, Yeddyurappa said the father-son duo tortured him too much, and warned that he too knew the tactics of rebounding at an appropriate time.
Elaborating on his achievements as CM, he said the historic Legislature meeting and building of Suvarna Soudha in Belgaum, implementing of Dr Nanjundappa report, Cabinet meetings in Gulbarga, building of Navagramas for the flood-affected and declaring of government holiday for Kanaka and Valmiki Jayanti were the major decisions of his government.
He said he dreamt of winning around 140 Assembly and over 25 LS seats in the upcoming elections. RDPR Minister Jagadish Shettar credited Yeddyurappa with the development of the party in a big way. Establishing of High Court Bench at Dharwad, building of Suvarna Soudha in Belgaum among others were great achievements of the Yeddyurappa government, he said. Minister C M Udasi said Yeddyurappa faced tough situations more than 13 times during his tenure as CM, and no one could match Yeddyurappa.
Shobha Karandlaje expressed hope that the convention would pass on “a strong message” to his opponents. MPs Pralhad Joshi, Shivarame Gowda, Janardhan Swamy, B Y Raghavendra, Minister Umesh Katti, and MLAs Chandrakant Bellad, Laxman Savadi, C C Patil, MLC Prabhakar Kore and others participated in the convention.
Earlier, Yeddyurappa and other ministers were brought in procession atop a vehicle. Crackers were busted, and colours spilled by his fans during the procession. The heart of the city was abuzz with people everywhere, affecting normal life.