Congress intensifies campaign to oust BJP

The party has been demanding that the Yeddyurappa government quit over its involvement in various land scams and corruption charges.

The Nadarakshana rally, the second after the party’s padayatra to Bellary, will be held at Jakkarayanakere in Seshadripuram on Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm. Union ministers S M Krishna, Veerappa Moily, Mallikarjun Kharge, K H Muniyappa and other leaders will share a common dais and seek the ouster of the Yeddyurappa government.

Party leaders and workers from nine districts will participate in the rally.

This is the first mega convention of the Congress in Bangalore after G Parameshwara took over as the party’s state president. Similar rallies have been planned in Hubli, Gulbarga and Mysore.

The Congress, which apprehends that the State may go for mid-term Assembly elections given the friction between the ruling BJP and the Governor, sees the rallies as an opportunity to revive itself in the State. The corruption issue has come in handy for it to take on the BJP, though it has not been as vociferous as the JD(S) in attacking the BJP.

“The Congress cannot be a mute spectator to the happenings in the State. It is high time the Yeddyurappa government steps down. Let the State face fresh elections. We are prepared for it,” Parameshwara said.

When asked how the Congress can make corruption an issue in the State when the UPA government is facing major corruption charges like the 2G spectrum scam, the Congress leader said: “We are not defending the Congress. There should be no corruption in public life. Whatever has happened in the State and at the national level is a lesson for all. Our battle is against corruption.”
When asked if road users would be inconvenienced due to the rally, Parameshwara said he has appealed to the workers to not create road blocks.