Bengaluru, Jan 17 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said B.S. Yediyurappa is doing a "very good job" as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, adding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state will not only complete its five-year term but also return to power with absolute majority.
Shah's statement assumes significance as for quite a long time, both the opposition Congress and a section of BJP leaders have been openly charging that Yediyurappa and his family members are allegedly indulging in corruption in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of police quarters in Bengaluru, besides virtual inauguration of the Indian Reserve Battalion campus at Vijayapura and launch of the Emergency Response Support System here, Shah said that Karnataka government under the stewardship of Yediyurappa is progressing "very well and a lot of development work has also taken place since the BJP came to power".
"Hence, we (BJP) will not only complete a five year term here but also come back to power in Karnataka with a majority of our own," he said.
Suggesting the Opposition leaders to stop 'speculating anything' about the BJP, he said that the party had been working for the people and therefore it is bound to come back to power.
"I have been of late reading statements of Congress leaders who are busy in speculating that this will happen on one day and that it will happen in Karnataka on another day. But I want to clarify to everyone that the BJP government will not only complete the five year term but also return to power for five years with absolute majority," he exhorted and asserted that whoever speculates must know one thing that Yediyurappa is really working hard.
Nearly a dozen BJP legislators have rebelled against Yediyurappa soon after the cabinet expansion was carried out on Wednesday as they were left out.
Referring to the Covid-19 vaccination drive, Shah said the drive has started in the country in a "big way" and the results will be visible in the next one or two months.
India under PM's leadership fought well against Covid: Shah
Bhadravathi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully fought against the coronavirus in the world.
Shah was addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for the 97th Battalion of Rapid Action Force (RAF) at Bullapura village here on Saturday.
The Home Minister said that with the beginning of the vaccination drive, the country has taken the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic to a final stage.
He asserted that India's vaccination drive represents the determination of a self-reliant India and is a milestone in the battle against this "invisible enemy".
"The entire world has been fighting against the pandemic for one year and even as many lives were also lost. This is perhaps one of the toughest battles humanity has ever fought. But our country has fought this battle using knowledge, innovations and mutual cooperation," Shah said.
Heaping praise on scientists, as the natiowide vaccination drive kicked off on Saturday, he said that India is one of the few countries which has achieved success to end the biggest crisis facing the humanity.
"The world's largest vaccination drive shows the immense potential of India's scientists and the power of our leadership," the Home Minister said.
Noting that during the initial days of the outbreak, some experts had flagged concern about the ill-equipped heath infrastructure, Shah observed that there was only one lab in the country at that point of time that could undertake testing for the infection but today it has more than 2,000 labs.
"The only difference was that India fought against the virus with unity," he said, adding that India has lesser fatality and higher recovery rates.
Shah said that the "New India" is a country that transforms disasters and challenges into opportunities and achievements.
"The 'Made in India' vaccine represents the determination of the self-reliant India. On this historic day, I bow to all our Corona warriors," he added.
Shah also thanked Chief Minister Yediyurappa for taking the initiative and giving the land for a new battalion campus of RAF that is coming up at a cost of Rs 230 crore.
He also assured the people of Bhadravathi that the central school and the stadiums to come up soon, will have all the facilities accessible to them.