The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State BJP chief for interface between party, Government

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 27, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State BJP chief for interface between party, Government

Staff Reporter

`It is vital in effectively delivering on the promises' Sadananda Gowda has asked party workers not to expect immediate results on the promises made

BANGALORE: The first priority for D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the new President of the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party will be to provide a seamless interface between the party workers at the taluk and district levels and the Government.

Speaking to presspersons here on Sunday, Mr. Gowda said: "Now that the BJP has come to power in Karnataka, and is no longer an Opposition party, this interface is vital to the BJP in effectively delivering on all its promises in the Common Minimum Programme and now the budget."

At the party level, Mr. Gowda, who is also MP for Mangalore, said there would be a group of at least 25 members at the district level engaged actively in the task of party building, interacting with grassroots workers, and passing on the benefits of programmes and policies to the people through them.

Hailing the budget presented by Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa as excellent, especially coming from a party that had become comfortable in the Opposition, Mr. Gowda said another important item on the agenda would be to enthuse party workers to work for effective implementation of the budget.

"There will be taluk-level monitoring committees within the party that will watch how the budget is being implemented in rural areas." An internal coordination committee between the party and the Ministers and the administration would be set up as another mechanism for performance audit of the party, especially on delivery of promises on governance, he said.

In a signal to the party rank and file not expect instant results, Mr. Gowda said: "Don't expect immediate results on all promises." He and the party needed time to assess the goals and the means to achieve them, and party workers were vital to the success of this exercise.

Exposing the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre was another point of action for the State BJP under its new chief.

Mr. Gowda said that there were "no two groups" within the State BJP. "There is some difference of opinion, which is natural in any growing political party, and these have been blown out of proportion thanks to whisper campaigns and misinformation," he said.

All MLAs did have expectations and many might be disappointed that they had not made it into the Cabinet. But these could be sorted out, and every one knew the party came first.

He would take at least a month to familiarise himself with his new assignment, Mr. Gowda said, and see what changes needed to be made in the party organisation. "As captain, I have to assess the team mates and ensure that the right man gets the right job. I will not be making change for the sake of change," he said.

Mr. Gowda said some of the old leaders of the party who had been sidelined, or had returned to the party, would not be ignored. They had been invited back with a purpose, and they would not be made to feel neglected, he said.

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