Intro
B.Y. Vijayendra reviews sir, drought situation and BJP preparations during Kalyana Karnataka organisational tour across five districts.
Bidar
Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra on Monday said the party has launched a three-to-four-day organisational tour of the Kalyana Karnataka region to review the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, assess drought-like conditions and strengthen the party ahead of upcoming local body elections.
Speaking to reporters in Bidar, Vijayendra said the tour would cover Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur and Koppal districts. During the visit, he will hold meetings with district leaders, MLAs and senior party functionaries to discuss organisational matters, political developments and election preparations.
He said the BJP is focusing on strengthening its organisation ahead of the Zilla Panchayat and other local body elections. The party will prepare strategies to ensure effective participation and better performance in the upcoming electoral contests.
On the SIR exercise, Vijayendra said the BJP is closely monitoring the revision process in Kalyana Karnataka districts. He added that the party has already raised its concerns with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, the State Election Commission and the Election Commission of India, expressing confidence that appropriate action would be taken.
Highlighting the agricultural situation, Vijayendra alleged that several districts in North Karnataka were facing severe distress due to insufficient rainfall. He claimed that Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Raichur had received only around 12 per cent of normal rainfall, affecting farming activities.
He said sowing has been affected across more than 30 lakh hectares of agricultural land, leaving farmers in distress. Crops including tur, sunflower and cotton have been impacted due to delayed or failed sowing.
Vijayendra criticised the state government’s response and demanded compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for drought-affected farmers in the Kalyana Karnataka region. He also urged immediate steps to address farmers’ difficulties.
Regarding the Anubhava Mantapa project in Basavakalyan, he alleged that the Congress government had failed to release pending funds despite earlier allocations by the BJP government. He urged Siddaramaiah to ensure completion of the project.
Addressing reports of internal differences in the Bidar BJP unit, Vijayendra said organisational issues would be discussed through a Core Committee meeting. He dismissed allegations of BJP legislators cooperating with Congress and said the party would continue to act as a responsible opposition.