HUBBALLI: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that the results of recent Assembly elections in five states have shown that a new political wind is blowing across the nation. “Similar kind of support is being received everywhere in Karnataka too, and I am confident that the party will win the 2023 Assembly election in the state with a clear majority,” he added.
“The BJP was overwhelmingly blessed by voters of Manipur in the far east, Goa in the southwest, Uttarakhand in the Himalayan ranges and Uttar Pradesh in the heart of the nation. This could be a clear indication of the outcome of the 2024 general election,” he told reporters at Savanur, near here, on Saturday.
He said that the cabinet expansion will not come up for discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the latter’s visit to the state in April. “It will have to be discussed with the party top brass in New Delhi. I will go to the capital when the leadership summons me. It will not be discussed in Bengaluru,” he said.
Bommai said Shah, who is also the Union Minister of Cooperation, is keen to bring in major reforms in the cooperative sector. With the State Government all set to launch the Ksheera Abhivridhi Bank, Shah will launch its logo and relaunch the Yashaswini programme during his visit. A mega convention will be organised for the launch programmes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too will visit the state and the tentative date is April 5. He will launch a slew of special development programmes, Bommai said.Earlier, the chief minister said for the first time in the state, a committee, headed by the chief secretary, has been constituted for effective and speedy implementation of programmes announced in the budget. “The committee will oversee work orders for various programmes and projects with coordination between various departments and consent of the Finance Department,” he noted, adding that all departments have been instructed to implement all projects announced in the budget.
On the hijab row, he pointed out that for the last 70 years, all schools asked students to wear uniforms and nobody objected. “Some vested interests instigated some innocent students and created this issue. The high court too pointed out it in its verdict. Everyone has to follow the court order. If everyone respects the law of the land, we will not face any problems,” he added.
On Muslim vendors not being allowed to set up shops near temples, Bommai said that the restriction is mentioned in rules framed under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 2002, but had not been enforced. The issue will be resolved by holding talks with all the stakeholders, he said.
GIM in November
Stating that preparations for the Global Investors’ Meeting (GIM), scheduled for November in Bengaluru, are in full swing, the Chief Minister said the state is aiming to attract huge investments during the mega event. Among all the states, Karnataka attracted the highest Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) for the last three quarters of the financial year, he noted.