Mangalore: Congress flags off Padayatra to Udupi, pledges to defeat BJP
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal / Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (DV)
Mangalore, Jan 29: "There was peace in the state during Congress rule, but the fundamentalist BJP government has ruined the religious harmony and integrity of the state. Our aim should be to root out this unethical BJP from power. Our Constitution has provided equal right to every citizen, but BJP is indulging in unconstitutional practices by supporting fundamentalism. Harmony and brotherhood have been completely disrupted especially in the coastal region," said KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar.
He was speaking after symbolically inaugurating the 73 km 4-day padayatra from Ullal to Malpe organized by Dakishina Kannada District Congress committee against the ruling BJP government.
Dr G Parameshwar flagged of the rally after garland the statue of Rani Abbakka. The protest rally was supposed to start at 10 am but it was delayed by two hours.
Addressing a Congress party workers' convention at Thokkottu, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah slammed BJP and JDS(S) and said, “BJP is sowing the poisonous seed of communalism in the state. People here live in terror, and because of BJP there is no peace or harmony in the state. This type of environment should be cleared and people should be able to live in a peaceful society. We have to root out BJP government and bring Congress to power."
He further said, "BJP has looted the state, so much that it is in debt. It was Deve Gowda and his son (Kumaraswamy) who brought this communal BJP party to power. Deve Gowda is selfish, and nepotism made JD(S) join hands with BJP and form government. After BJP came to power it supported Bajrang Dal, Rama Sene and vandalized churches, mosques and temples.
"Yeddyurappa was the first CM to go to jail for 24 days. It brought shame to the entire state. Al most 50% of BJP MLAs in Karnataka’s administration are on bail or in jail. Yeddyurappa's KJP and Sriramulu's BSR Congress are two sides of the same coin," he added.
"Though former Lokayukta Santhosh Hegde had submitted a report on illegal mining, and said that the government had caused a loss of thousand lac crore in illegal mining, this BJP government has never tried to take any action on the report, and never tried to recover the loss. In the forthcoming elections if Congress comes to power, the first task it will undertake is it to recover the loss to the state treasury caused by BJP and send all corrupt people to jail," he declared.
"Though there is no culture in BJP, they do moral policing in the name of culture. In this way BJP government is betraying the people of Karnataka, indulging in unconstitutional work by spoiling the atmosphere of the nation. Congress activists should get ready to root out BJP from power and people should support Congress for a better administration," he said.
Veerappa Moily said Congress has done enormous work for the nation following a proper ideology and respecting the Constitution. "Leaders like Mahathma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are an inspiration to us," he said.
Former union minister Janardhan Poojary said, "I am not against saffron colour but the BJP government. Sangha Parivar does not know the value of saffron." The statement was in reference to a recent controversy wherein he had objected to another Congress member wearing saffron for the celebration of Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary.
He also lauded the district Congress committee for taking the bold decision of organizing the padayatra.
C M Ibrahim said Hinduism is a religion of tolerance and universal acceptance. "No religion teaches violence. Islam and Christianity teach peace," he said. Ibrahim also commented on corruption and the 'unethical' practices of BJP administration in the state.
S R Patel, K B Jayachandra, Ramanath Rai, Vinaya Kumar Sorake, B L Shanker, Mottamma, V Munniappa, Haji Monu, Manjula, B A Moideen and other prominent Congress leaders of Dakshina Kannada were present.