BENGALURU: Even as rumbling within the JD(S)-Congress is getting louder, the BJP is in no mood to fish in troubled waters as the party sees the coalition collapsing on its own sooner than later. "As a constructive opposition, we will perform our role of exposing the misdeeds of the government. We are not trying to destabilise the government. The coalition government will fall under its own weight after the Lok Sabha election. This government will not survive after the Lok Sabha polls," BJP MP and state general secretary Shobha Karandlaje told The New Indian Express even as reports are doing the rounds about a group of disgruntled Congress MLAs warming up to BJP.
She also ruled out the possibility of BJP striking a pact with JD(S) after the Lok Sabha polls. "We are not keen because of our previous bitter experience," Shobha added.The JD(S)-Congress tie-up for Lok Sabha election will not dent BJP's prospects, Shobha said. "It will in fact help BJP as JD(S) will eat into Congress' base and squabbles between the partners will further boost BJP's tally from the present 17 to more than 20 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election," she claimed.
When asked about BJP's soft stand on former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, she replied, "We do not throw stones at the vanquished." Shobha termed Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's tearjerker as a ploy in self-defence.
To a question about Modi government's performance, Shohba said, "Modi government's programmes like MUDRA loans, crop insurance, Swachh Bharath, Ujjwala are more distinct with intense focus compared to the programmes launched by the previous UPA government at the Centre." She expressed confidence of Modi getting a mandate for his second term in 2019. She ruled out the possibility of an early poll for Lok Sabha.
Amit Shah’s visit deferred
BJP national president Amit Shah’s visit to Bengaluru, scheduled for July 28, has been deferred due to the monsoon session of Parliament starting Wednesday. “Shah’s visit has been deferred as he is busy with the Parliament session and also a meeting of the BJP MPs which is scheduled on the same day in New Delhi,” a BJP state functionary told TNIE. The state BJP core committee meeting, which was to be held on July 21, has also been deferred. The rescheduled date of Shah’s visit and the core committee meeting will be announced soon, the functionary said.