Bengaluru, July 25 The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would mark the one year of its rule in Karnataka by flagging its achievements on Monday.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will be addressing the people live on television on the same day, and hold a digital rally on August 1 with the party's leaders and cadres across the southern state, Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said on Saturday.
"We are holding a series of events to celebrate one-year rule on returning to power a year ago for the third time in the state. Yediyurappa will release a booklet on the government's achievements at Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) on Monday and address the people live on television," Narayan told reporters in Kannada here.
Yediyurappa took oath as Chief minister for the fourth time on July 26, 2019 three days after the 14-month JD-S-Congress coalition government fell following loss of majority in the Assembly by its chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on July 23, 2019.
Though Yediyurappa became Chief Minister on May 17, 2018 after the saffron party won 105 seats in the assembly elections, he resigned on May 19, 2018 as his 3-day government fell short of 8 seats for a simple majority in the 225-member Lower house.
After heading the state as a one-man cabinet for 25 days, Yediyurappa formed his ministry by inducting 17 party legislators as ministers on August 20 and expanded it on February 6, 2020 with 10 more who were re-elected in the December 5 by-elections after defecting from the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).
"From July 29-31, we will plant 1 crore saplings all over the state and distribute pamphlets in 50-lakh houses across the state on our government's performance, welfare programmes and social schemes under implementation for the people," said Narayan.
Party's state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel and other leaders will also address the party cadres on August 1 through online due to restrictions on public gathering and Covid-induced guidelines to maintain social distancing to contain the virus spread.
"Though our government had to grapple with drought and floods and relief works in August-October last year and the Covid pandemic since mid-March, many policy decisions were taken in the last 12 months," asserted Narayan.
In the December 5 assembly by-elections, the ruling party won 12 of the 15 seats and increased its strength in the Lower house to 117.
"The resounding victory in the by-elections has not only given our party a clear majority in the assembly, but also a stable government for the next 2 years of the term," reiterated Narayan.
Highlighting a few achievements, Narayan said the state government had announced Rs 2,500-crore relief package to the Covid-hit people, especially farmers, weavers, fishermen, barbers, autorickshaw drivers and the migrant labour as their livelihood was affected due to the extended lockdown.
"The entire state machinery has been working on war-footing to contain the virus spread and provide healthcare to the Covid victims across the state, especially in Bengaluru, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the positive cases," he noted.
The state has also started making personal protective equipment, masks, sanitisers and other medical kits for healthcare warriors to treat the affected patients.
The state government also amended the Karnataka Land Reform Act through an ordinance, announced a new industrial policy to attract investments and create thousands of jobs over the next 5 years.
Yediyurappa became BJP's first chief minister in South India in May 2008 after the party came to power on its own for the first time but was forced to resign in July 2011 following his indictment by the state Lokayukta in the multi-crore iron ore scam that rocked the state in the first decade of this century.
Yediyurappa became chief minister for the first time in October 2007 as head of the BJP-JD-S coalition government but lasted only for over a month after JD-S withdrew support and he had to resign in November 2007./Eom/645 words.
( With inputs from IANS )