BENGALURU: From a ride in a ropeway car to wooing global head honchos, Chief Minister BS Yediyuappa seems to have enjoyed every bit of his time in Davos, Switzerland. He left for Davos on January 19, and is expected to return on Friday. Images of the CM togged up in a natty suit with a muffler round his neck and a cap on his head are there everywhere--- this is the new CM in Davos. This has nothing to do with sudden change in his saratorial preferences.
It is the extreme cold climate there. But the 76-year-old leader is going around his work like he would have done back in Bengaluru. In fact, he was prepared for the cold climate. “Before my coming here (Davos), everybody cautioned me about the cold climate. But after coming here, though I have enough insulation against cold, I am not feeling anything odd as far as climate is concerned. I am living as normal as in Bengaluru,” the CM said. Yediyurappa, who was initially hesitant to take a flight to Davos, now seems to be happy being in the Swiss city.
Would’ve been a mistake to not attend forum: CM
“Initially, I was hesitant to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) meetings, but I am now feeling that I would have committed a mistake by not coming here,” he said. The CM was busy holding talks with business tycoons and promoting Karnataka as a best investment destination. “Heads of business houses and industrialists have gained confidence with my presence at the meetings. They have understood the seriousness of our urge to realise investments,” he told The New Indian Express.
In the last three days, the CM held talks with several top business honchos, including Lakshmi Mittal, chairman, Arecelor Mittal; Richard Ambrose, Executive Vice-President of Lockheed Martin; president of Volvo Hanka Angwel and representative of 2000 Watt company, Dassault Systemes, Bharat Forge, Lulu Group and Novo Nordisk. While some are planning to expand their operations in the state, others like Lockheed Martin are keen to explore the possibility investing in Karnataka.
This is the first time he is away from the state for so long after he took over as CM, and the WEF meetings too are a new experience for the leader best known for his ability to win elections for the BJP. “Though it is a new experience for me, I never differentiate or discriminate between works. Here I am as serious as I am with my political activities at home. I have participated with a zeal and seriousness in all the scheduled meetings,” the CM said.
In fact, he met investors and industrialists who are not listed by the State Industries Department. His hectic schedule or the distance hasn’t deterred the CM from keeping tabs on the developments back home. Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar, who has accompanied the CM, was briefing him regularly. “Being a Chief Minister, it is my duty to keep track of happenings in my state. I am briefed regularly by the officials on the happenings in the state,” he said. However, it was not all work, and no play for the CM. “I went round the city and had a ride in a ropeway car at a nearby hillock,” said the CM, explaining how he enjoyed “every moment and every meeting in Davos.”
Moving towards $5 trillion economy, says BSY
Amid Karnataka, which is the fourth-largest state economy in India, will help provide the economic muscle to propel the nation to reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of a $5 trillion economy, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. Union Railways and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal was also present. Yediyurappa explained the strength of the state, saying that Karnataka’s GDP was about $250 billion and the growth rate was pegged at 9 per cent. He also stated plainly that he was seeking to invite entrepreneurs to invest in Karnataka. He expressed optimism that the business community would respond to his invitation, and was elated that investors were aware of Modi’s $5 trillion economy target.