Only BJP has ideological background, cadre base and mass following: Party chief Nadda in poll-bound K’taka

PTI, Feb 20, 2023, 5:58 PM IST

Udupi: BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday said his is the only party in the country which has the ideological background, cadre base, and mass following, while dividing people and the society, corruption, incompetence, non-governance, are the basic traits of the Congress.

He said almost all the other political parties in the country, including the Congress, are family or dynastic parties, while for the BJP, the party itself is the family.

Addressing the District Booth Committee Convention and a public meeting here, he expressed confidence that people of Karnataka have decided to choose the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls.

Assembly elections in Karnataka are due by May.

Nadda, who stayed in Mangaluru on Sunday night upon arrival, earlier today visited the Udupi Sri Krishna Math and offered prayers.

”We are the privileged ones that we are karyakartas of the BJP…with my political experience I can say, BJP is the only party in the country which has the ideological background, cadre base and has the mass following,” Nadda said.

Addressing the District Booth Committee Convention in Udupi, he said the BJP is the only party which has ideological conformity and continuity.

”Our ideology that was prescribed by Syama Prasad Mukherjee, following the same ideology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 6 of 2019 abrogated Article 370 (of the Constitution giving special status to J&K). This is the ideological strength of the BJP,” he added.

Further stating that no political party in this country has associated with one ideology for long, the BJP chief said all political parties have become family or dynasty parties.

”Take the name of any party, you will see that they are a family party. Congress party too is a family party, as mother, son and daughter — all the three are its working committee members,” he alleged while listing out the names of political parties that are dynastic.

Later addressing a public meeting in Byndoor, Nadda said the primary character of the Congress is division, corruption, commission, non-performance and betraying people from their rights.

”Elections are coming and I want to tell you that it is the BJP, under which Karnataka has progressed, it will continue to progress further on the path of development. I can say this with guarantee,” he said.

The BJP leader alleged that the Siddaramaiah-led previous Congress government in the State had withdrawn 175 cases and had released 1,600 people who were Popular Front of India (PFI) and Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) activists, involved in anti-national activities and had taken law and order into their hands.

”This was with an intention to create division in the society. There is vote bank politics and politics of convenience behind this,” he said, as he charged Siddaramaiah with conspiring to disturb peace in the State. ”Siddaramaiah is squarely responsible for it,” he added.

Also questioning the rationale behind Siddaramaiah government’s move to close Lokayukta by making it weak, Nadda said it was because the Congress government deeply indulged in corruption, and were ”part and parcel of commission and corruption”.

”Division of the people, division of society, corruption, incompetence, non-governance, divide-and-rule, all these are the basic traits of the Congress, I’m saying this with responsibility and am ready to substantiate,” he said, as he urged people to support the ”double engine” government to take Karnataka forward.

BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, national general secretaries C T Ravi and Arun Singh, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje were among others present at these events.

Later in the evening, Nadda addressed the arecanut growers convention in Chikkamagaluru, where he listed out various farmer-friendly initiatives taken by the Centre and those by the state government.

He said, whatever good has been done for the benefit of the arecanut growers in the country, it has been done only by the ”double engine” BJP governments at state and Centre, he said.

Nadda is scheduled to visit Sharadamba Temple in Sringeri established by Hindu scholar Adi Shankaracharya and offer prayers there later tonight.