BENGALURU : Karnataka Pradesh Congress President DK Shivakumar on Sunday lashed out at the State government after local police attempted to stall a food kit donation drive in Mahadevapura. “Strip down the stars on police uniform and instead give them BJP badges and flags,” Shivakumar mocked the government, after local police tried to stall the drive and dismantle the stage with Congress party hoardings and flags, purportedly on the “instructions of the minister”. Minister Arvind Limbavali is the local MLA.
Shivakumar lashed out at police and the BJP government for attempting to stall an event aimed at helping the poor. “BJP leaders use government money on relief items, and put up photos of themselves and PM Modi, but all the relief material being given by us comes from hard-earned money of Congress leaders and cadres. Our party leaders are using their personal funds to help the poor, and this government is not able to stand it,” he said.
The Karnataka unit of the Congress continued its protest against rising fuel and food prices on Sunday, at multiple village panchayat and district panchayat levels. Shivakumar joined the protests in Tumakuru to mark the third day of their five-day protest. Meanwhile, in a parallel effort, other Congress leaders, including working presidents Ramalinga Reddy and Saleem Ahmed, presided over ration kit donation camps in Bengaluru.
Party leaders across the State have been dividing their time between agitations and donation camps over the past few days, in a two-pronged offensive against the BJP government at the Centre and State.
Shivakumar interacted with party cadres across the State via video conference, from former DyCM Dr Parameshwara’s residence in Tumakuru, before proceeding to protest sites.
By Sunday evening, he was back in Bengaluru to distribute ration and medicine kits to people from economically vulnerable sections. “Donation drives are being organised in all 224 constituencies across the State, and our leaders are using their personal funds to help the poor, who are already burdened by rising food and fuel prices,” said Saleem Ahmed.