BENGALURU: JDS on Saturday announced a padayatra from Byramangala near Bidadi to Freedom Park in Bengaluru from July 30 to August 1 to protest against the Bidadi township project. JDS leaders former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and party youth leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy will take part in the padayatra. The party is also planning a convention at Freedom Park on August 1.
Speaking to media persons, JDS leader Suresh Babu said there are no differences between the JDS and BJP over the padayatra or fighting against the project. A day after the BJP announced that it would take out a padayatra against the project, the JDS announced the dates for its padayatra.
Chief Whip of the Opposition in the Legislative Council N Ravi Kumar said BJP has no issues over the JDS’s padayatra. He told reporters that the objective of both BJP and JDS is the scrapping of anti-farmer Bidadi Township project.
“There will be only one padayatra from Bidadi to Bengaluru. Our President BY Vijayendra will discuss with the JDS leaders about the modalities and logistical arrangements for the padayatra. We will bring clarity on this issue. We will not make any issue about the dates,” he said. He said although the CM says land will not be forcibly acquired the state government has issued a final notification for land acquisition.
Let the government land be used for the township project and the BJP will not allow farmers’ land to be usurped for what is essentially a real-estate project, the BJP leader said. BS Yeddyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy had dropped the Bidadi Township project and had returned Rs 400 crore to DLF, he said.
Cong MLA slams BJP, JDS
Congress MLA from Magadi HC Balakrishna slammed JDS and BJP leaders over their opposition to the Bidadi Township Project. “BJP leaders have said they would take out a padayatra against the project, it is not a padayatra but a march for atonement of their sins,” he said.
Balakrishna said HD Kumaraswamy had given the Bidadi project to DLF on a PPP model, and he should tell people how much kickback he got. When Kumaraswamy was CM, BS Yediyurappa was the DyCM, and he should also tell people what kickback he got, he said.
He said opposition leaders must show common sense before making allegations that money from the project will be used for elections in other states. It will take another 10 years to complete the project, he said, adding that the BJP-JDS had given the project to private firms, but now the government has taken up the project. The MLA said they will place all details during the assembly session.
He said the Congress returned to power in the state in 2023, but did not implement the project immediately. After farmers appealed to the government to provide relief from the ‘Red Zone’, Shivakumar got a survey done and found that most farmers were in favour of the project. After that, a preliminary notification was issued in 2025, and final notification was issued in 2026, he said. The MLA alleged that 31 of 36 acres belonging to Kumaraswamy’s wife, Anita Kumaraswamy, were acquired in violation of the PTCL Act.