Bengaluru, Feb 27: Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa turned 78 on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of leaders greeting him.
Modi hailed Yediyurappa as a "hardworking" chief minister and wished him long life and good health, while several state leaders flocked to his residence and greeted the Lingayat strongman.
"Birthday greetings to Karnataka's hardworking CM @BSYBJP Ji. He is passionately working for the state's progress, especially on farmer welfare and rural development. I pray for his long life and good health," the Prime Minister tweeted.
A large-scale "non-partisan" birthday bash will be held here later in the evening.
The felicitation function will see Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and former chief minister S M Krishna besides Siddaramaiah of Congress and H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) sharing the stage.
Union Ministers D V Sadananda Gowda, also a former chief minister, Pralhad Joshi and Suresh Angadi will be in attendance.
BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santosh and state party chief Nalin Kumar Kateel are among those who will be gracing the event.
While Santosh will release a felicitation volume in Kannada with 78 articles from a cross-section of people, including politicians, writers, bureaucrats, and spiritual leaders; Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy will unveil a coffee table book and documentary respectively.
Yediyurappa, on the eve of his birthday on Wednesday, had said whatever he has achieved is a result of the people's "blessings and faith" and requested well-wishers not to bring bouquets, flowers, shawls, sweets, turbans or any souvenirs to greet him.
The birthday function organised by "Yediyurappa Abhinandana Samiti" (Yediyurappa Felicitation Committee) is being seen in some quarters as an attempt by Yediyurappa and his loyalists to send a message to the party leadership that he was still "strong".
The BJP's current dispensation under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has retired several senior party leaders who crossed the age of 75.
However, an exception was said to have been made in Yediyurappa's case after the BJP won 25 of 28 seats in the Lok Sabha election under his leadership.
In the 2018 elections, he spearheaded the campaign of the BJP which emerged as the single largest party but fell short of the majority mark following which Congress and JD(S) came to power stitching a post-poll pact.
However, the coalition collapsed in July last year, paving the way for return of Yediyurappa as Chief Minister for the fourth time.
Comments
real democracy at work here, which muslim outfit is supporting Pakistan and raising anti Indian slogan, if he has any proof he can register a case, why would he keep talking like this when central is with him… but instead !!he is just bul@#$ing to impress those people, who except every what’s app post as proof...RSS had gifted gun to the first terrorist in independent India and like-minded have also made a temple recently for nathuram goadse- rss was also banned for several years, they were against national flag also...and such organisation is still available then why not SDPI????,,tumhara talwar legal hai aur hamara ,chaku illegal ??
as per Hindutva workers they are not working for India they are working for their political masters, so if they commit crime should they be acquitted. Do you know who is making this arrests they are Hindus they are people like us, who put the country first and will arrest any amar akabar Anthony regardless of political masters or religion…
This foul mouthe KSE should know who hoisted Pak flag in Sindagi, where was this Eshwar when Sri Ravi Shankar shouted Pakistan Zindaba infront of Rajnath Singh, defence minister who remained deaf and dumb. Who went to Pakistant without invitation to eat Beef Biryani in wedding and who took Sari and Bangles as gift to Pakistanis. BJP's IT cell in MP caught passing sensitive defence information to ISI which resuted in death of hundreds of our brave soldiers. You anti-national Sanghi scums are a disgrace to human race. Dont open your ugly mouth, you dirty creature now talk about private part of Muslim males, shame on you brain dead .....
Marle... Looks like escaped from mental hospital.
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