After formally launching the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) here on Sunday, party president and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said he would tour the state from Monday.
“I will kick off a state tour from Basavakalyana in Bidar and cover all the districts. I will spend two days in each district to strengthen the KJP at the grass-roots level,” he said.
Stating that elections to the state Assembly might be held any time, the former chief minister called upon party workers to strive hard to bring the KJP to power in the state. “Let us go to the people to take their blessings,” he said.
Sea of Humanity
Owing to the KJP convention, Haveri, a sleepy town in North Karnataka, witnessed an estimated crowd of 2.5 lakh people from all across the state.
Attired in white safari, Yeddyurappa came to the venue in an open jeep in a procession.
He was presented with the traditional Mysore Peta, a green shawl and a cardamom garland. Huge flower garlands (measuring three to five feet) were brought by his followers.
Pooja Steals the Show
Kannada actor Pooja Gandhi of ‘Mungaru Male’ fame was, however, the centre of attraction in the rally. The crowd whistled whenever the organisers mentioned her name in their speeches. She spoke in Kannada for three minutes and requested the people to strengthen the hands of Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa had to intervene several times when the crowd came near the dais to have a glimpse of Pooja. This delayed the speech by over 15 minutes.
Tempers Fly High
Ultimately, Yeddyurappa took the mike and asked the people to calm down. He asked thousands of people who were standing on plastic chairs to sit as they were blocking the view of those sitting at the back.
Finally, Yeddyurappa lost his temper and said he would not address the gathering if the audience did not cooperate.
Earlier, several leaders who addressed the gathering, praised Yeddyurappa for his populist programmes and termed him the strong force required for the progress of the state.
Not Many Cops Near Dais
Although, over 1,000 police personnel were deployed for the rally, the number of police personnel posted near the dais was low. This resulted in over 150 persons assembling near the dais chanting pro-Yeddyurappa slogans and waving the KJP flags.
A few KJP leaders charged that the government had deployed only a small number of police “intentionally” to create chaos in the rally. “How can 1,000 police personnel control such a huge crowd?” they asked.