HUBBALLI: On his first visit to his hometown Hubballi after taking charge as a Union Minister, Pralhad Joshi was given a rousing welcome by party members and well-wishers on Sunday. Joshi has been appointed as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Beatings of drums, fire crackers and slogans erupted at the airport, as the leader came to Hubballi from Bengaluru. 

Arriving at Hubballi airport, he thanked and expressed his gratitude to the people. The leader visited noted statues of Basaveshwara, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Kittur Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna, Sindhura Lakshmana and Dr B R Ambedkar in the city. He even visited prominent temples in Hubballi to seek blessings. 

Speaking to reporters at the airport he said, his focus will be on development. Expressing his dissatisfaction over the progress of Smart City Project, he called upon local leaders and said it is the need of the hour to speed up the project work. 

Assuring the state government and people of Dharwad that the Mahadayi issue will be taken up by the new central government on a priority basis, Joshi said, “There is no need to politicise the issue and everyone must work together for the benefit of farmers and people of Dharwad district.”“The state government is blaming the central government over Mahadayi issue. There is a need to consult the legal experts over the issue,” he added.