Bengaluru, Jan 16 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to Karnataka from Saturday, during which he will launch several projects besides addressing a political rally in Belagavi district.
According to the itinerary released by the Karnataka government here, Shah will participate in foundation stone laying ceremony of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) centre in Bhadravathi in Shivamogga, Chief Minister Yediyurappa's home district, on Saturday followed by the launch of Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), a nationwide unified emergency system to attend to emergency requests from citizens in the country, in Bengaluru.
After this, he will visit Chief Minister's chamber and few minister's chambers besides he will chair the senior police officers meeting at the Conference Hall in Vidhan Soudha here.
On Sunday, Shah will launch Ethanol project in newly inducted Karnataka minister, Murgesh Nirani's Sugar factory in Bagalkot district. From there, he will proceed to Belagavi, where he will visit, BJP Rajya Sabha MP headed K.L.E. Medical college and in the evening he will address a political rally here.
Though on the face of it, the Home Minister's visit to Belagavi is to celebrate BJP's win in the recent gram panchayat polls and to tell the new members of their responsibility as gram sevaks (village servants).
But his rally in Belagavi also assumes significance for another reason, as Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency is heading for by-elections in the wake of BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi succumbing to coronavirus in Delhi on September 23 last year.
After addressing a rally, Shah will also meet Angadi's bereaved family members and convene a special meeting of party office bearers here and after this he will be departing to New Delhi from Belagavi.
Disgruntled BJP MLAs likely to meet Shah
A section of the discontented legislators who could not make it to the third round of cabinet expansion in Karnataka are likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who will be on a two-day visit to the state from January 16, on Sunday to put forth their grievances, in Belagavi.
Yediyurappa on Wednesday expanded his 17-month-old government by inducting seven new ministers and dropping Excise Minister H. Nagesh. The cabinet was expanded after much deliberations and the exercise already saw some aspirants who could not make it, publicly airing their displeasure.
At least a dozen legislators including party chief whip Sunil Kumar, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, M. P. Renukacharya, Sathish Reddy, G. H. Thippa Reddy, Abhay Kumar Patil, Siddu Svadi, S. A. Ramadass and A. H. Vishwanath, who could not make it, have been airing their displeasure openly but so far none of them have confirmed that they will be meeting Shah.
But the speculation is rife in the wake of Yediyurappa himself advising his critics on Thursday to meet party central leaders to complain against him, if they have any complaints.
The disgruntled leaders are likely to target Yediyurappa's second son B.Y. Vijayendra when they meet Shah.
Majority of ruling party MLAs have attacked Vijayendra's style of functioning while even some ministers in private conceded that his interference is increasing, but the ministers have not come out about it openly.
The disgruntled leaders feel that they have a chance of meeting Shah and freely express their feelings in front of him on Sunday.