Mysuru:  Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Santhemarahalli in Chamarajanagar Taluk yesterday was a huge success, State BJP In-charge K. Muralidhar Rao has maintained that with Modi’s campaign, the BJP is gaining ground in old Mysuru region where hitherto the party did not have a strong base. He was addressing a press meet at a private hotel here this morning.

Terming State BJP Chief and Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa as a true farmer leader, Muralidhar Rao said that addressing agrarian issues, urban planning and infrastructure development, law and order issues etc., will be the highlights of the party’s election manifesto, which will be released in a couple of days.

Pointing out that Union Ministers including Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers of all BJP ruled States will be canvassing for the party in Karnataka, he said that the party has planned at least two public rallies in each of the 224 Assembly segments of the State.

Referring to Varuna Constituency from where CM Siddharamaiah’s son Dr. Yathindra is contesting as the Congress candidate, he said that the BJP has taken the Constituency seriously and BJP National President Amit Shah and other top leaders will campaign there.

Replying to a question on mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy campaigning for BJP, Rao said that the BJP does not have any connection with Janardhana Reddy and that Reddy may be campaigning for B. Sriramulu in his (Reddy) personal capacity and not as a party leader.

He further said that G. Somashekar Reddy and G. Karunakar Reddy have been given party tickets because they were both former MLAs and had worked tirelessly for organising the party from grassroot level.

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress Government, Rao said that the people were frustrated with Congress’ misrule.

Stating that Congress and JD(S) were two faces of the same coin, he ruled out the possibility of a hung Assembly and said the BJP was getting closer to achieve its mission-150.

Replying to Siddharamaiah’s charges that Amit Shah and State JD(S) Chief H.D. Kumaraswamy took the same flight to Delhi to reach a tacit understanding, Rao termed the CM’s charge as baseless as the CM was simply making the charge without any documentary proof.

City BJP President Dr. B.H. Manjunath, District President Kote M. Shivanna, leaders  M.V. Ravishankar, Tejaswini Ramesh and others were present at the press meet.