Riding bullock carts, Siddaramaiah, DKS to highlight fuel price hike today

BENGALURU : The main opposition party Congress is planning to take out a mother of all protests on Monday when the 10-day legislature session begins. Though the party  has held several agitations against fuel price hike over the last few weeks, it will be a spectacle on Monday when septuagenarian Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar and other leaders ride four bullock carts to Vidhana Soudha.

Other party MLAs and leaders will march along raising slogans against the rise in fuel prices. The procession will start from Opposition leader’s residence near Shivananda Circle. “We don’t want to increase the number of carts as it will lead to traffic jams,” said Congress leaders. It is also not clear how far the march would go as there will be prohibitory orders in place around Vidhana Soudha because of the session. 

“We will not raise the issue of price rise on the first day as it is reserved for obituaries. We will take it up when the discussion begins on Tuesday,” Congress leaders added. Former minister and Congress leader Krishna Byre Gowda said, “High fuel prices are a burden on the common man. We will raise price rise, nonpayment of compensation to flood victims, the poor financial condition of the State and other issues.”
The party, which conducted the first legislature party meeting last Tuesday, will hold the second round of the meeting during the middle of the session to decide strategies to be taken up in the House. 

Meanwhile, several farmer associations too have planned protests from Monday against the new farm laws. Raitha Sangha leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar said, “The Karnataka government has sought to implement the farm laws in Karnataka. This is poisonous to farmers’ interests. We will start a march from the city railway station.”