Political focus shifts to padayatra scheduled on Sunday
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D K Shivakumar addresses a press conference about the party's proposed padayatra for the Mekedatu project at party office in Bengaluru on Friday
Bengaluru: With the state under weekend curfew, the politicos have trained their attention towards the Mekedatu padayatra organised by the Congress party. The padayatra is scheduled to begin on 9 January (Sunday) and will end on 19 January.
Both BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) have had their go at the timing of the padayatra and charged them with being insensitive. For Congress, it is a catch 22 situation. They go ahead with the Padayatra they are definitely to be blamed, if they do not, after they announced, they will be blamed for not being committed.
Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has already indicated that the padayatra will not serve the purpose as the issue is larger than any political party and there cannot be a political solution to it. "Similarly, the Congress party had gone on a Padayatra towards Krishna river project, what could they achieve except creating law and order problem? Even this time, they will not achieve anything except fomenting bad vibes with Tamil Nadu. They do not have any objective in the Meke Daatu Padayatra except political" Kumaraswamy has stated.
Kumaraswamy also came down heavily on Siddaramaiah the opposition leader and said when he was the Chief Minister for five years he could have done the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Meke Daatu despite having all the power and funding at his disposal. The DPR was prepared by my government he added.
Water resources minister of Karnataka Govind Karjol of BJP has criticised the Congress for the idea of holding a Padayatra in these difficult times of Covid. Our first priority is to make it safe for the masses through Covid appropriate rules and not whipping up a mass rally that has no direction or objective.
He said Congress is a partner in the Tamil Nadu government with DMK, if Siddaramaiah had any good intentions for the state let him use his influence in the Congress party in Tamil Nadu and dissuade the state government from raking up demands for more water. Karjol said.
However, with Congress going ahead with its plan for the padayatra, it is expected to create some law and order problems in a few places. Both BJP and the JDS mobilise some resistance in the pockets en route. According to Congress media cell, the padayatra may have over a lakh participants.