BENGALURU: Barely two days after Karnataka eased lockdown restrictions laying great emphasis on social distancing, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee leaders staged a protest against the state government in Vidhana Soudha premises on Wednesday. What started as a ‘symbolic’ protest with senior leaders wearing face masks sitting apart from each other, soon turned into a crowded gathering of party workers with no regard for social distancing norms.
As party leaders shouted slogans against the state government for its APMC Amendment Act, handling of migrant crisis and the Centre for its stimulus package, the masks were off, so were precautions against Covid-19. Very few leaders like former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wore a mask throughout the protest. Wednesday’s protest, the Congress said, was symbolic and a warning of what was to come for Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
The party has been opposing the government’s decision to take the ordinance route to amend the APMC Act opening up free market space for agricultural produce. It has also taken exception to the government’s move to appoint representatives to panchayats with the terms of existing members coming to an end. The government has been pointing to the Covid-19 crisis to avoid elections due in panchayats across the state. “The government doesn’t want to conduct panchayat elections.
They are preparing the groundwork to appoint their party workers to key posts in panchayats. I am warning the CM that our party will begin protests across the state. The APMC Act amendment is antifarmer and is meant to help capitalists,” said D K Shivakumar, Congress State chief. The Congress was also protesting against the possible changes to labour laws under consideration by the State Government on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.