Karnataka BJP-JD(S) Foot March Banned, Congress Counters Politically

Bengaluru, Jul 29 (PTI) The Karnataka police will not grant permission to the planned BJP-JD(S)' foot march, Home Minister G Parameshwara declared on Monday, as the ruling Congress said the opposition's move seeking to highlight alleged scams and put the government on the mat would be countered politically.

BJP State President B Y Vijayendra asserted that the week-long foot march from here to Mysuru from August 3 -- demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged scam in allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), including to his wife Parvathi, and financial irregularities in a state-run corporation, cannot be suppressed.

Hitting back at the opposition, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the ruling Congress will counter politically the opposition's foot march.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said the police will not give permission for the foot march officially, but will not stop them either.

Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said: "We will not give permission for the 'padayatre' (foot march), let them (BJP-JDS) do it, we won't say no, but the police department will not officially give any permission."

"Let them protest. There will be several legal matters so we don't give permission. Even we were not given when we held the padayatre (When BJP was in power). We did it too (without permission). We won't stop them...we will facilitate and ensure no problem happens to them," he said.

Asked whether the Congress is making any plans to counter the opposition's foot march, Parameshwara said the state president D K Shivakumar is preparing a strategy.

"We will have to counter it. They are doing politics, so we too will have to do politics. We will do it from the party, not by using the government," he said.

Meanwhile, asserting that their struggle and foot march cannot be suppressed, Vijayendra, speaking at a preparatory meeting here for the foot march, said his party workers will not shy away from the protest because of "barren threats" of Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar.

Addressing media in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said: "What is there in MUDA to put a black spot on me? I have already formed a judicial commission to probe into it. Have they (opposition) ever formed a judicial commission during their tenure? There is no fault on my part, still, as there should be no suspicion in the minds of the people, a judicial commission has been formed," the Chief Minister said.

He charged the BJP with being an "expert in blackmailing, lying and making lies the truth," and also sought to attack the JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda which joined the NDA last year.

"What ideology do they (BJP) have? They are against social justice, secularism, democracy and the constitution. On the other hand JD(S)' Kumaraswamy speaks so much, in 1984 he had taken a site and possession certificate, and then applied for an alternative site. How many sites Deve Gowda had got for his family members in the past?"

It is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.

BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA "scam" is of the magnitude of Rs 4000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore.

The government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the charges.

Addressing party leaders, office-bearers and workers at the preparatory meeting, Vijayendra stated that the opposition's struggle in favour of SC/ST communities will continue across the state.

"They (Congress) have looted the money of the scheduled communities. They have indulged in corruption worth thousands of crores. If we do not fight against them, even God will not forgive us," he said.

On denial of the police permission to the march, Vijayendra said: "During COVID they (Congress) did Mekedatu padayatre. I'm unable to understand why this government and the Chief Minister are worried...."

"This government doesn't have the strength to suppress our struggle," he said. "People are angry about this government and its scams. If they (govt) tries to suppress it, it will reach a level that is unimaginable. This government cannot stop us."

Regarding the alleged financial irregularities in the state-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, Siddaramaiah, while admitting that there is a scam, claimed that false allegations are also being made by the opposition against his government.

"It is true that there is a scam, but not Rs 187 crore, it is Rs 84.63 crore. Who has done it ? for that SIT probe is on. Also CBI and ED are probing," he said. "Didn't corruption take place during their (BJP) tenure? I have listed 21 scams during their period, inquiry is on in some cases," the Chief Minister said.