BJP-JD(S) padayatra from Kunigal to B'luru on Tuesday

The BJP and the JD(S) have joined hands to take out a padayatra for four days from March 24 to build more pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to hand over IAS officer Ravi’s death case to the CBI.

Leaders and workers, without the banner of their respective parties, have decided to take out the march from Doddakoppalu of Kunigal taluk, where Ravi was cremated, to Bengaluru. It would take four days to reach Bengaluru. The agitation would end in a public rally in the capital.

JD(S) leaders H D Kumaraswamy, Cheluvarayaswamy, H C Balakrishna and BJP leaders Jagadish Shettar, Pralhad Joshi, K S Eshwarappa and others participated in the meeting held at a hotel on Friday evening.

MLC Eshwarappa told this newspaper that the padayatra would be apolitical and not carry any of the two parties’ banner. The BJP will also begin an agitation on its own on Sunday near the Gandhi statue at Anand Rao Circle, he added.

Asked whether the padayatra would be called off if the government announced a CBI probe, Eshwarappa said, “It is unlikely that the government will announce a CBI probe. I am not sure whether the Congress high command has advised Siddaramaiah to order a CBI probe.”

The BJP leaders held a marathon meeting before holding a meeting with the JD(S). After the meeting, Pralhad Joshi said the party did not want to politicise the issue. Hence, it is protesting against the issue along with the JD(S).

The government is indulging in character assassination of the officer. It is misusing a section of the media for this purpose, Joshi charged.

He said the party had been demanding a CBI probe, as names of big companies, including one owned by Home Minister K J George, were being heard as responsible for the death of the officer. The party does not have any faith in the State government-controlled CID investigation, he said.

Opposition leader in Assembly Jagadish Shettar said he was planning to move a privilege motion against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for leaking information pertaining to the CID investigation to the media.