Padayatra fever hits JD(S) too
Emulating the two main political parties in the State, the Janata Dal(S) too has succumbed to the latest political fad of padayatras.
Late entrant it may be, but the JD(S) has planned it big. Going one up on the 320-km Bangalore-Bellary padayatra of the Congress, the JD(S)’ rally beginning from Basavakalyan on October 2 will not only traverse the length and breadth of the state from Bidar and Chamarajnagar but will also cover all the 30 districts.
“Our agitation is not confined to illegal mining. We will highlight the failures of BJP government in the state and that of the UPA Government at the Centre”, JD(S) State President H D Kumaraswamy told reporters after a meeting in Bangalore.
It is apparent that the JD(S) was feeling left out of the limelight, as the Congress, in coma since last Assembly election came to life thanks to the padaytra, and had even given jitters to the ruling BJP.
Over the last few years, the JD(S) has developed into a small but feisty party capable of posing challenge to both the major political parties, and by outperforming the Congress in by-elections had even fancied itself as the main challenger to the BJP.
More galling to the JD(S) was the fact that it was the Congress which had got the political temperature in the State on the boil due to its padayatra and its earlier staying-in protest in the Assembly. To mortify JD(S) more, the BJP has has planned to hold four conventions at Davangere, Gulbarga, Mysore and Bellary starting from Monday, and Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has even threatened to launch his own padayatra. The Bellary ministers - G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy and B Sriramulu - have been having their own political rallies “Swabhimani Samavesha” in their home district.
Cong hijacked idea
Kumaraswamy said party leaders will stay in villages en route the padayatra. Kumaraswamy blamed the Congress of “hijacking” his party’s idea of taking the “misdeeds” of the State Government to the people.
“We had announced that our party will take out padayatra plans three months ago, but the Congress hijacked our idea,” Kumaraswamy declared.
JD(S) National President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said his party will raise in Parliament the issue of illegal mining.
Reiterating the party’s opposition to the bill banning cow slaughter, Gowda alleged that even before the legislation passed by the legislature got the Presidential approval, the State was trying to implement the law by arresting those engaged in the trade in Tumkur and Chikmagalur.
