Mysuru: He seems confident, a man on the move. Clearly basking in the performance of his party in the recent elections in five states, state BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa, currently in Mysuru for campaigning, is far from cowed down in facing the byelections in Gundlupet and Nanjangud when the Congress is holding the reins of administration here. DC caught up with him as he got ready for yet another tiring day in Gundulpet. Excerpts from an interview:
The Congress seems confident of victory in both constituencies as it is in power and is promising to continue bringing them more development during the rest of its term.
People are fed up with Siddaramaiah’s style of administration. By getting the entire cabinet here, they plan to win the elections with money power. But our candidates are highly respected and have the support of people of all communities. So I have no doubt we will win the byelections.
You are promising to waive farm loans if you come to power. But why isn’t your government at the Centre waiving farm loans given by nationalised banks as suggested by CM when the state is in the grip of a severe drought?
There is no proposal before PM Modi to waive farm loans by nationalised banks. But the party has assured it will waive farm loans in the states if it is elected by them like in UP. In Karnataka, it is upto the state government to waive farm loans. When we were in power in the state, we waived farm loans twice and did not expect the Centre to do it.
When BJP has a large number of MPs from the state why are they not persuading Mr Modi to intervene in the Mahadayi issue, the Cauvery dispute and in getting drought relief funds for the state?
We are giving huge sums of money for drought relief. When Mr Manmohan Singh was PM four years, he gave only Rs 900 crore for drought relief but we have given Rs 4,500 crore so far. As for the Mahadayi issue, we waited for the Goa elections to be over and now we will do all that is possible to resolve it. As far as the Cauvery dispute is concerned, it is still before the Supreme Court.
Will the Modi wave work here too?
After polls to five states recently, we are now in power in four of them. And BJP won 325 seats as against the Congress’s seven in UP. So this implies there is a Modi wave. There is the same atmosphere in the state too. It will help us win the election.
