Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) The BJP Saturday will embark on a massive 
“As our main objective is to free Karnataka from the Congress rule, we have set a target of enlisting one crore (10 million) voters as our members by March. We have also launched an online drive to enrol even youth as our members,” he told reporters here.
Noting Karnataka was the only big state in which Congress was in power, Shah said the state had elected 17 Bharatiya Janata Party MPs, enabling the party secure a majority in Lok Sabha and form the government.
Out of the southern state’s 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress won nine and Janata Dal-Secular two.
“It is important for us to rebuild the party in the state and win back the people’s confidence to unseat Congress in the next assembly elections. The membership drive will help us in strengthening the party and expand its base in the state,” Shah said.
Party’s state unit president Prahlad Joshi said the party would enrol 10 lakh members in the first phase of membership drive Jan 10-11, 25 lakh in second phase Jan 24-25 and achieve the one crore target by March.
“Besides the membership drive, the party’s core committee, which met here today (Saturday) under the leadership of Shah, has decided to launch an agitation against the Congress government’s attempt to take over religious institutions (mutts) across the state through an amendment bill and dilute the prevention of cow slaughter and protection law through another bill and for reducing bus fares by state-run transport corporations following reduction in diesel prices,” Joshi told reporters.
The BJP, which has set a 10 crore membership target by March across the country, has enrolled 295,000 people till date.
Describing the state’s Congress government as non-performing, corrupt and defunct, Shah called upon the people to free the state from it.
In a press conference, he alleged that the state’s economy had been crippled under the Congress “misrule” and the growth rate had declined to five percent from 10 percent during the previous BJP rule.
“The youth of Karnataka have become unemployed after the Congress came to power and the condition of farmers is very poor, with 77 percent agricultural households indebted,” Shah asserted.
The Congress returned to power in the state after a decade by securing a majority (122) in the 225-member house in the May 2013 legislative assembly elections, defeating the BJP which ruled the state for the first time on its own since May 2008.
Bengaluru: World perception of India changing fast: BJP chief
Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) Claiming that India was being praised in nations Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited during the last six months, BJP president Amit Shah Saturday said the country’s perception was changing fast in the world.
“Perception about India is changing fast in the world. India is being praised in countries where Modi visited over the last few months. Our relations with all countries are improving and there is respect for India across the world,” Shah told reporters here.
During the first seven months of his tenure since assuming office May 27, Modi visited Japan, Brazil, the US, Australia and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
“The United Nations declaring June 21 as the International Yoga Day is a glorious achievement for India and its credit goes to Modi, who proposed it for the first time during his address to the UN General Assembly Sept 27. About 170 countries endorsed the declaration, which is an honour for 125 crore Indians,” Shah said.
Noting that the NDA government had taken strong steps in theWorld Trade Organisation to protect interests of farmers and the poor in developing countries, Shah said India had succeeded in ensuring minimum support price to farmers on foodgrains
Listing out the various achievements of the NDA government during the first seven months of its tenure, Shah said by ushering good governance, the policy paralysis of the previous UPA government was removed and the decision-making process was hastened.
“Under the dynamic leadership of Modi, the economy is moving on the path of high growth rate after emerging out of slowdown, as evident from 5.5 percent GDP growth rate in the first half of 2014-15 as against 4.9 percent in first half of previous fiscal under the UPA government,” he said.
He also said the “progressive policies and decisions” of the NDA government had brought down prices over the months.
Bengaluru: BJP seeks secular parties’ support on anti-conversion bill
Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) Asserting that his party was against conversions and re-conversions, BJP president Amit Shah has sought the support of the “secular parties” on bringing an anti-conversion bill.
“We are against forceful conversions and re-conversions. Neither our party nor the NDA government is involved in the ‘ghar wapsi’ (return home) programme. We seek support of the so-called secular parties for a strong legislation against conversions,” Shah told reporters here.
Regretting that no secular party had come forward to introduce the anti-conversion bill, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party was in favour of such a law to check conversions.
“There is a need for a strong anti-conversion law to prevent conversions by anyone, be they Christians, Muslims or Hindus,” Shah said while appealing to all parties to support the government in enacting a law against conversions.
Noting that the BJP had nothing to do with the ‘ghar wapsi’ programme of some Hindu right-wing groups, Shah said his party did not believe in such conversions.
The Dharma Jagran Samiti was allegedly behind the forceful conversions of about 250 Muslim families to Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh in November.
Later, BJP sources told IANS that the Dharma Jagran Samiti had been told to refrain from such conversions on advice from the Narendra Modi government this week.
Bengaluru: BJP chief calls for Congress-free Karnataka
Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) Describing the Congress government in Karnataka as non-performing, corrupt and defunct, BJP president Amit Shah Saturday called upon the people to free the state from the ruling party.
“As the NDA freed the country from the Congress at the centre, the people should free the state from the ruling party. By joining hands with our party, the people should ensure a Congress-free Karnataka,” Shah told reporters here.
In his maiden press conference in the city during his second visit to the state, Shah alleged that the state’s economy had been crippled under the Congress misrule and the state’s growth rate had declined to five percent from 10 percent during the previous BJP rule.
“The youth of Karnataka have become unemployed after the Congress came to power and the condition of farmers is very poor, with 77 percent agricultural households indebted,” Shah asserted.
The Congress returned to power in the state after a decade by securing a majority (122) in the 225-member House in the May 2013 legislative assembly elections, defeating the BJP which ruled the state for the first time on its own since May 2008.
Claiming that the Congress government in the state had proved to be an abysmal failure in governance and in maintaining law and order, the Bharatiya Janata Party president said the people’s mandate was being squandered by failing to inclusively represent the cause of the millions of people across the state.
“Instead of governing the state, the Congress government has been indulging in sectarian populism, by introducing the Karnataka Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (amendment) bill in the state assembly during the recent (Dec 9-20) winter session of the state legislature at Belagavi though subsequently the chief minister (Siddaramaiah) had announced that the contentious bill would be withdrawn in the ensuing budget session due to our stiff opposition,” Shah pointed out.
The state government had also hurriedly withdrawn the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Protection Bill of 2010 and its amended 2012 version, which was awaiting the President’s assent, on the last day of the winter session after the opposition BJP protested against the sectarian agenda of the Congress.