MYSURU: Differences between BJP and JDS, which are on a padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru to protest against the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, came to the fore when workers got into a wordy duel over BJP activists celebrating former MLA Preetham Gowda joining the march in Mandya on its fifth day.
Workers from both parties had turned up in good numbers for the padayatra, which is being led by JDS netas Nikhil Kumaraswamy and CS Puttaraju and BJP’s R Ashoka, BY Vijayendra, Chalavadi Narayaswamy and others. There was commotion for some time when BJP workers carried Preetham, who is also a BJP general secretary, in a procession in the yatra.
BJP youth from Mandya and Hassan, draped in saffron shawls, surrounded Preetham and raised slogans like “Gowdara Gowda - Preetham Gowda” (Gowda of Gowdas) and called him Tiger of Hassan.
JDS workers were upset and objected to the sloganeering and got into a verbal altercation with BJP workers. They raised slogans praising party supremo HD Deve Gowda, party state president HD Kumaraswamy and Nikhil. At that point, leaders from both parties appealed to workers to shed their differences and put up a united show.
JDS workers were also not happy with Preetham’s posters, welcoming him to the yatra, put up on prominent streets of Mandya.
His fans and other BJP workers made Preetham’s procession viral on social media, with the claim that he has managed to finish off the Deve Gowda family in Hassan.
Preetham being part of the yatra had become a sour point for the alliance as Kumaraswamy had threatened to stay away, saying he did not want to share the dais with the ex-MLA for tarnishing the image of the Deve Gowda family. Kumaraswamy had also accused Preetham of distributing the pen drives, containing the alleged sexual exploits of Kumaraswamy’s nephew and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna.
Congress, not letting go off the opportunity to attack the opposition alliance, called the padayatra the final yatra. It said the march has been a conflict yatra from day one as both parties are fighting for their survival. In a post on X, the Karnataka Congress alleged that the fight is between Vokkaliga leaders and Vijayendra.
‘BICKERING YATRA’: CONGRESS RIDICULES BJP-JDS MARCH
The Congress ridiculed the BJP-JDS padayatra after differences between workers of both parties came to the fore in Mandya on Wednesday, and called it a foreword for breaking their alliance. JDS workers expressed displeasure over former BJP MLA Preetham Gowda taking part in the padayatra. BJP and JDS workers raised their voices, exchanged words and even pushed each other, and a video of the clashes went viral. Sharing the video, Karnataka Congress stated that the padayatra has been a “bickering yatra” from day one. “Leaders of both parties seem to be fighting to keep their party identity in this region, and fighting against each other,’’ it stated.
“On one side there is a fight between Vokkaliga leaders and BJP State President BY Vijayendra, on another there is Vijayendra vs BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. Now it has become JDS vs BJP.’’ The Congress also shared photographs of a hearse van said to have been decorated with BJP and JDS buntings and used in the padayatra at Channapattana. ‘’Last journey of alliance partners,” the Congress stated.