CHITRADURGA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday showered praise on former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, calling him a “rare leader” who was never after power, but the one who preferred to build the party in Karnataka.
After taking part in the BSY Abhimanotsava to celebrate 50 years of Yediyurappa’s political journey, the Union minister said, “In 2014, BJP was about to form the government at the Centre with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. I was the general secretary of the party at that time. Surprisingly, when I was at Gujarat Bhavan, I got a letter from Yediyurappa. The letter said: “My priority is Karnataka and I want to bring BJP back to power in the state, hence don’t make me a minister in the Union cabinet.”
He said, “I have seen people who after becoming Union ministers try to become chief ministers. But Yediyurappa rejected the opportunity and led the BJP movement in Karnataka and brought it to power.”
‘BSY had big role in turning B’luru into a tech hub’
Shah lauded Yediyurappa for playing a vital role in making Bengaluru a global tech hub and said he will be remembered forever for his service to the state.
Stating that there is no leader of Yediyurappa’s stature, he said it was the former CM who introduced a separate agricultural budget and supported the farming community. He understood their problems and resolved them, Shah added.
“I worked with Yediyurappa in the last three elections and was amazed by his priority to minute things. He used to keep a small diary in his pocket and track everything and follow everything up. It was an education for me. There are a lot of things that our young politicians have to learn from Yediyurappa,” Shah said.
When everyone said BJP will not flourish in South India, Yediyurappa worked out strategies and formed the first BJP government here. “I have toured Karnataka extensively, met many swamiji’s, visited memorials of freedom fighters and at one point visited the memorial of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna. It was a small place. When I went inside, I saw that it had been developed into an attractive spot. When I asked people who had done this, the only answer was Yediyurappa.”
Shah said the presence of seers from all communities on one stage sends a clear message to the state and the entire country that Yediyurappa is not confined to one community and is liked by all communities.
‘BJP govt in Bengal, BSY event a happy coincidence’
Chitradurga: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said it was a happy coincidence that the formation of the new BJP government in West Bengal and the 50-year celebration of BS Yediyurappa’s political journey happened on the same day.
“When (BJP leader) Govind Karjol invited me for the Yediyurappa’s felicitation programme, I accepted the invitation. I didn’t know that it will coincide with the oath-taking ceremony in West Bengal,” he said. Thanking voters of Bengal, Shah said,
“Today is a historic day as the lotus flag has risen in West Bengal, the land of spiritual leaders, like Arobindo Ghosh, Swamy Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Dr Shamaprasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.”