The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Jaitley confident of getting ‘comfortable majority’

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Saturday, Mar 22, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Jaitley confident of getting ‘comfortable majority’

Special Correspondent

BJP campaign to be on price-rise, security, development, ‘political betrayal’

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Positive note: BJP leader Arun Jaitley with State unit president Sadananda Gowda (centre) and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa at a meeting in Bangalore on Friday.

BANGALORE: Expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will get a “comfortable majority” in the coming Assembly elections, BJP National General Secretary and Karnataka elections in-charge Arun Jaitley, on Friday, said the party’s poll campaign would hinge on four issues — price-rise, security concerns, development schemes taken up by the BJP in the erstwhile government and political betrayal by the Janata Dal (Secular).

“We will package these issues in the form of an effective poll campaign,” Mr. Jaitley told presspersons here after holding a series of consultations with prominent leaders of the party State unit to prepare the poll strategy.

Mr. Jaitley, who is visiting Bangalore for the first time after being appointed the party’s State poll in-charge, declined to indicate the number of Assembly seats that the party is expecting to win. The BJP, which had grown from a mid-size party into the single-largest party in the previous elections, is expected to get a comfortable majority in the polls.

He said the people of Karnataka had paid a price in terms of slack in development activities, for giving a fractured verdict in 2004. “We are confident that people of the State will, this time, give a decisive mandate and that will be in favour of the BJP,” he said.

Main plank

Accusing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of being responsible for the steep rise in the prices of essential commodities, especially food items, he said this would be the main poll issue.

The increasing security concerns in Karnataka after the arrest of several suspected terrorists would also be another issue in addition to the development schemes taken up by BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa in the coalition government, he said.

Accusing the former coalition partner JD(S) of betraying the BJP, he said the JD(S) had thrown to the winds “morality in public life” through its failure to transfer power.

Mr. Jaitley described Mr. Yeddyurappa as the “unquestionable chief ministerial candidate” of the BJP and that the party would fight the Assembly elections under his leadership.

He sought to downplay Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the State by remarking that: “In the Congress nothing seems to succeed like failure for Rahul.”

Pointing out that the Congress had lost elections to several State assemblies in the last few years, he said another such defeat in a major State like Karnataka, on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls, would show the way for the exit of the Congress and the UPA.

Hence, the Congress was trying to put off the Karnataka polls.

Forming cells

Meanwhile, BJP sources said Mr. Jaitley has asked the party State leaders to constitute various party organs, including the campaign cell, office management cell and tour management cell.

He is also learnt to have suggested that the party should set up a new office in Bangalore.

Mr. Jaitley, who will leave for Delhi on Saturday, is expected to return next week for one more round of consultations.

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