Congress padayatra ploy to beat JD(S) in bastion?

Shyam Sundar Vattam/NT

Is the Opposition Congress party planning a revival of its fortunes in the Vokkaliga dominated South Karnataka ahead of the 2023 polls by taking out a padayatra in the first week of December in a region hitherto considered a stronghold of  Deve Gowda’s party, the JD(S) for years? 

This is  a question which has occured to most political observers  who feel the ‘Grand Old Party’ is out to  woo voters of the Vokkaliga dominated belt to portray themselves as the real champions of farmers and counter the claim of the JD(S) that the ‘farm loan waiver’ scheme initiated during the tenure of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government from 2018-19, was derailed by Congress leaders themselves.
Congress veteran Siddaramaiah and KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar claim that the proposed padayatra is apolitical, but  people in Karnataka know well why Congress leaders took out a padayatra in the Krishna Basin and why  they marched from Bengaluru to Ballari when the BJP government headed by B.S.Yediyurappa was in power from 2008-2011. It was obviously intended to embarass the ruling party over the delay in implementing Krishna river projects and to expose the illegal mining scam involving the Reddy brothers.

The decision to take out the padayatra was made at  a brainstorming session held on Sunday to counter the pro-farmer image JD(S) supremo H.D.Deve Gowda enjoys in the Cauvery basin districts. In the 2018 Assembly elections, the JD(S) had performed very well in the Vokkaliga strongholds with the Congress ‘whitewashed’ in Mandya district.

The padayatra will pass through Mandya, Ramanagar and Bengaluru Rural districts where Vokkaliga voters hold the key. Leaders participating in the padayatra, will be from Mysuru, Mandya, Ramanagar, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and other places which are Vokkaliga dominated The Congress is fully aware that former CM and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy is sure to attack the Congress for  creating  hurdles in the execution of the farm loan waiver scheme, in the coming poll campaign and wants to convince voters that his claim is false.

With just 18 months left for the Assembly elections, the Congress wanted to pick an emotional issue which strikes a chord with voters in the Cauvery basin and struck on the Mekedaatu project. As both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar belong to the same region, they can sway voters by harping on the ‘injustice’ to people of south Karnataka because of the delay in  implementing the project, said sources.