The Hindu : Karnataka News : No postponing of elections, warns BJP

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Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

No postponing of elections, warns BJP

Special Correspondent

’Announcement of unemployment dole by the Congress is old wine in new bottle’ promise’

YADGIR (GULBARGA DIST): The Bharatiya Janata Party today warned that it would not tolerate any move to postpone Assembly elections beyond May this year on the ruse of redrawing the boundaries and changing reservation categories of the constituencies in the State as per the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission headed by Justice Kuldip Singh.

Redrawing boundaries

Addressing a press conference here, former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said although the BJP also wanted the State elections to be held after the redrawing of the constituencies, as per the recommendations of the delimitation commission since it would increase the constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the State, his party would not allow the Congress to use this as a reason for postponing the elections.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the Election Commission must issue a notification immediately in this regard and take up the redrawing of the boundaries and complete the task before holding of elections. The Congress party, which had become jittery due to the pro-BJP wave sweeping the State, was doing everything to postpone elections, and importing leaders like Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna for election work in the State. “As per our information Mr. Krishna is likely to resign as the Governor of Maharashtra shortly, and take over as the Chairman of the Campaign Committee of the KPCC,” he said.

He chided the Congress for announcing that it would pay Rs. 1,000 as unemployment dole to youth and termed this as an “old wine in a new bottle” promise. Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the Congress had made a similar promise in the manifesto for the 2004 Assembly elections. It had promised to pay Rs. 500 as employment dole to the unemployed youth in the age group of 18 to 28 years, and had said it would be the first act of the government if the Congress party was elected to power in 2004. Mr. Yeddyurappa said the Congress which was in power for 20 months with the support of the JD (S) had not implemented this promise then. Now it was making this promise to hoodwink the people.

He defended the BJP’s announcement of free power to irrigation pumpsets up to 10 HP in the State and said this would benefit 16 lakh farmers and help in irrigating more than 20 lakh hectares. During his short stay as the Chief Minister, he had discussed this issue with the officials of the Irrigation Department and the Power Department and had asked them to prepare a report on providing free power.

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