MYSURU: Big response to JDS’ Pancharatna yatra and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s call to his partymen to win a large number of seats in Old Mysuru have jolted Congress into action and the party is now planning to organise mega-rallies to retain its hold over the region.
Congress is planning rallies in Vokkaliga-dominated Hassan, Mandya, Chikkamagaluru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts. The party has also geared up to hold public meetings in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Udupi and Mangaluru. Party leaders are aiming to mobilise lakhs of workers for the Praja Dhwani Yatra, which will be held in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts from January 21 to January 26 after a break.
Rajya Sabha member GC Chandrashekar said the failure of the ruling BJP government on all fronts has made people look up to Congress. Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shvakumar are going on the yatra jointly on the instructions of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. The three-month-long campaign from buses will strengthen the party organisation and help win over the electorate, he added.
He said the state government does not have the courage to seek its share of Rs 15,000 crore GST collection from the Centre. It is unfortunate that 25 MPs from BJP did not raise their voice when the state has recorded the second-highest GST collection in the country, he added.
The Centre granted just Rs 10,000 crore as against Rs 85,000 sought by the state for losses caused by floods. Why has the double-engine government failed to deliver, he asked. He said the government has spent just 42 percent of the budgetary allocation and the agriculture sector is the worst affected as irrigation projects are yet to be completed. How can they spend 60 per cent of the funds in the next two months, he wondered.
KPCC working president R Druvanarayan said Congress will seek votes in the name of development and will expose BJP for implementing less than 10 per cent of the promises made in the manifesto. He criticised BJP for playing with emotions of people by announcing the construction of Ram temple at Ramanagara and Hanuman temple in Mandya.