Days after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the airport at Shivamogga would be named after his predecessor B S Yediyurappa, the latter on Sunday played a political masterstroke. Yediyurappa, a BJP veteran known for his shrewd moves, wrote to the Chief Minister, advising him not to name the airport after him. The airport should be named after someone who has contributed to the betterment of the nation, he wrote. By doing so, Yediyurappa not only silenced critics and earned praises from the ordinary Kannadigas but the move is also expected to be appreciated by the BJP’s top leadership, said those close to him. They said the PM has always asked party men to hold the nation and the party above themselves. Party fortress BJP national president J P Nadda on Sunday made a short trip to Ghaziabad where he along with his party workers listened to the Prime Minister's monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat. The event was organised at booth no 327 in Sahibabad Assembly constituency, which the BJP won in 2017 and 2022 with the highest margin in UP. At the venue, a life-size cut-out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was placed, where people could click selfies. On the occasion, Nadda made a brief speech and said that through this programme, the Prime Minister has connected himself with the public. BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national media in-charge Anil Baluni and BJP’s West UP president Mohit Beniwal were also present. Revival mode In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls earlier this year, the RLD led by Jayant Chaudhary was betting big on its alliance with the SP. The results were not too impressive with the party managing to win eight out of 33 seats it contested. But for a party that had no representation in the Assembly, with its lone MLA switching to the BJP in 2018, the performance appears to have boosted its confidence levels. On Sunday, the party held a meeting of its national executive at the Constitution Club of India in Delhi. The party has decided to launch a fund-raising and membership drive on May 1. It also plans to launch a mobile app to establish direct connect with people, who will be able to flag their grievances on governance and civic issues through it.
