After multiple delays, Karnataka BJP govt picks Sept 10 to celebrate anniversary

The date of the celebration has been changed on four occasions since July 28 due to different reasons.

Prior to this, the event was to be held on September 8, but was postponed following the death of senior minister and eight-time MLA Umesh Katti on September 6.

After Katti’s death, the BJP had initially decided not to cancel the event scheduled for September 8 and instead chose to restrict state mourning to one day (September 7). Later, however, the party changed its mind and issued an order for three days of state mourning and no government celebrations. The three days of mourning ends on Friday, and will allow the BJP to hold celebrations on Saturday.

BJP general secretary and state in-charge for Karnataka Arun Singh is scheduled to be the chief guest for the event. Singh arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon as per the original plan to attend the Janotsava on Thursday, but traveled instead to Belagavi to pay his respects to Katti’s family.

September 10 is likely to have been picked to accommodate the schedule of party leaders attending the event and the state legislature, scheduled to start from Monday, September 12.

“National leaders have collected details about the massive Janotsava programme to be held in Doddaballapur on September 8 and have given certain instructions to make it successful,” CM Bommai had stated earlier.

The anniversary celebration of the BJP government was originally scheduled to be held on July 28 but was cancelled following the death of a BJP youth leader, Praveen Nettaru in the Dakshina Kannada region on July 26. “We wanted to celebrate the programmes we have done for the people. Now, there is no peace to the mind and after seeing the emotions of the family and the mother of Praveen we have decided to cancel the event,” Bommai said on July 27, on the eve of the event.

BJP national president J P Nadda was originally scheduled to attend the event, during which he was to sound the bugle for the 2023 state polls. However, he decided to stay away following protests by right-wing workers over the death of Nettaru.

Subsequently, a decision was taken by a circle of leaders close to Bommai to hold the event on August 28, but this was vetoed due to other events coinciding with the date, including a local meeting of the RSS and the Ganesh Festival on August 31.