The BJP today announced launching a 'Protect Bengaluru' yatra from tomorrow even as it targeted the ruling Congress in Karnataka over "increasing" cases of crime and released a city specific 'charge sheet' against the party. Hitting out at the BJP, an unfazed Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused it of "looting" the city while in power.
"What is the use if looters do any yatre (yatra)? They (BJP) looted while in power," Siddaramaiah told reporters. Announcing the 'Bengaluru Rakshisi Padayatre', Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the party would visit all the 28 constituencies of the city and impress upon people to root out the Congress by voting the BJP. The 14-day yatra will criss-cross Bengaluru with a call to save the city from "Congress' misrule" and revive it, the BJP's state unit said in its official twitter handle. This is the second march launched by the party, the first being the 85-day "Parivarthana Yatra" that concluded on February 4.
The yatra criss-crossed all 224 assembly constituencies in the state and virtually sounded the bugle for the coming assembly polls in the state.
BJP brings out Bengaluru specific 'charge sheet' against Congress
Releasing a booklet carrying the "failures" of the Congress government, Javadekar alleged that Bengaluru has been reduced to "garbage city and crime city" ever since Siddaramaiah took over as chief minister. The BJP also brought out a Bengaluru specific "charge sheet" against the Congress.
"The charge sheet is an eye-opener. A decent city has been converted into a crime city. Now it's 'Goonda Raaj' when we see the happenings in the last one month," the union minister said.
Goondas were attacking police, robbing their houses and snatching their revolvers in Bengaluru, he alleged.
"Once considered the safest city for women,Bengaluru has become the most unsafe city today due to increasing cases of rape, abduction and chain snatching. This is the transformation done by Congress under Siddaramaiah," he said.
The state unit tweeted "from once being a global city to now being a city known for crimes, traffic jams, women molestations, garbage dumps, pot holed roads and what not! @siddaramaiah has turned 'Brand Bengaluru' to 'Barbad Bengaluru'.
The party will launch Bengaluru Rakshisi Padayatre to "reclaim Bengaluru," it said. The party with this march is also aiming to strengthen its prospects in the city that has 28 assembly seats, for the assembly election that is expected in April/May.
Taking on the the saffron party, State Home minister Ramalinga Reddy referred to various incidents where those associated with the BJP were allegedly involved in violent acts. He said action has been taken in all cases including one in which a Congress MLA's son was involved.
"When we came to power, BJP that was in power earlier had left Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (city civic body) with Rs 8000 crore debt....we need to save people of Bengaluru from BJP, as they are the ones who are goondas," he said. Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Nalapad Haris had allegedly assaulted a man at an upscale pub-cum-restaurant here last month, triggering a political backlash.
Nalapad is currently in jail.
