BENGALURU: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said that he intends to hold a massive farmers’ rally in the state and invitations for the same will be sent to all non-BJP chief ministers and leaders of regional parties.
Kumaraswamy intends to recreate a show of opposition unity similar to what was witnessed during his swearing-in-ceremony earlier this year.
The Chief Minister’s announcement came after meeting his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu at former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s residence on Thursday evening.
“We will hold a huge rally either end of December or in January. The farmers’ rally will be held in the light of crop loan waiver implementation. For the second time, I will extend an invitation to all non-BJP chief ministers. It will be a platform for all secular forces to come together,” HD Kumaraswamy told the media.
The announcement to hold a rally in Karnataka came soon after Kumaraswamy also spoke about a rally being scheduled by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in January where she intends to bring together leaders of all ‘secular’ parties.
With leaders of regional parties like Naidu taking the initiative to talk to his non-BJP counterparts to bring them onboard to form a formidable alliance against the BJP, Kumaraswamy is looking to provide a common platform for all leaders to come together for the second time.
With a farmers’ rally, Kumaraswamy hopes to turn the heat on the Union government that has refused to support his massive farm loan waiver. Cashing in on the anger from the farmer community against consecutive governments, Kumaraswamy hopes to build a pro-farmer narrative to aid the united alliance.