From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 6: Home Minister Araga Jnanendra cannot stop the Congress party’s Mekedatu padayatra and he has to come in another life to do so, thundered KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Speaking to media representatives in front of Vidhana Soudha, he criticised the Home Minister’s statement that no permission has been given for the Mekedatu padayatra and Congress leaders will be arrested if the party goes ahead with it and he (Jnanendra) will not be able to do so in this life and has to come in another life.
“We are taking out a walk for drinking water and we will go ahead come what may,’’ he declared.
Shivakumar said the ‘Home Minister is free to arrest anybody. Let him arrest me or Siddaramaiah or our party legislators. We are walking for drinking water’ and made it clear that the Congress party will strictly follow all Covid norms and take out its walk for water.
“If the government is so serious and firm about curbing Covid pandemic, how and why the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected MLCs did was held in the banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha. The Chief Minister attended it. Thousands of people were present. Did the government stop it or arrest anybody? Was any case registered against anybody? Is the Home Minister unable to arrest anybody,’’ he asked.
Shivakumar said the new MLCs have been elected and he was not objecting to their taking oath as members of the Upper House. “If the oath taking function had to be held, it should have been a virtual event or it could have been held inside the Council to administer the oath. What is the Home Minister doing? Are they trying to scare us,’’ he asked and asserted that the Congress party will not be cowed down by such hollow threats.
“I am ready to go to jail,’’ he declared making it clear that the walk for water will go on as announced.
The State Congress president said the party has embarked on a fight for protecting the rights and interest of Karnataka and its people. ``I have been in politics for 40 years. Let the Home Minister arrest me, my party leaders and we will show them what we are capable of,’’ he said.
The Congress party cannot be cowed down by empty threats, he said pointing out that the State Government has been imposing all these restrictions to prevent the padayatra unmindful of the problems faced by the common man due to the curfew restrictions, Shivakumar said.
The KPCC Chief called on the Veerashaiva Lingayat Panchamasali see Sri Vachananda Swamy of Harihar and asked him the bless the Mekedatu walk of water programme from January 9.
Earlier, he met the Kerala Opposition leader VD Satishan at the KPCC office and felicitated him. KPCC Working President Dhruvanarayan was present.