Karnataka Congress woos farmers at Janadhwani Yatra

The DK Shivakumar-led Congress on Wednesday launched its ambitious Janadhwani Yatra from the Devanahalli assembly constituency, where the party tried to woo farmers.

The Congress will hold the Janadhwani Yatras in 100 assembly constituencies, especially those where it is weak, as part of a massive organization-building exercise.

"The international airport is here in Devanahalli. Who got it done? I was the district in-charge minister and it was our (Congress) MLA Muninarasimhaiah. I held a meeting and fixed Rs 6 lakh per acre for 2,000 acres. Today, if your land is valued at Rs 6 crore, it’s because of the Congress government. You can’t forget that,” Shivakumar said.

He also told milk producers that it was the Congress government that hiked the subsidy to Rs 5 per litre.

“On the way here, we met some farmers and they gave us a representation. They said they can’t sell their aged ox. They said they didn’t get the right price for their vegetables during the Covid-19 lockdown. They didn’t get their MSP,” he said. “We also got a representation from taxi drivers. We asked the BJP government to give Rs 10,000 aid. The government announced Rs 5,000. Did it reach everyone,” he asked.

Read | Quota quagmire: Karnataka govt forms high-level panel

‘Tipu is a patriot’

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah hailed erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan as a ‘patriot’. “Devanahalli is Tipu’s birthplace. He fought the British who laid down his life as a patriot and freedom lover,” he said. He also remembered Bengaluru founder Kempegowda who ruled over Devanahalli. “When we were in power, we celebrated Tipu Jayanti and Kempegowda Jayanti. Not just that, it was the Congress government that named the airport after Kempegowda,” he said.

Terming the BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government as “illegitimate”, Siddaramaiah said no development works were going on in the state. "They have not been able to fulfil a single promise they made to the people of the state," he said.