Cong top brass halts padayatra

Spiralling Covid cases force party to act but leaders say it will continue after cases decline.

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: A day after Karnataka High Court questioned the timing of the Congress’ Mekedatu padayatra, the party on Thursday called off its rally with immediate effect saying it was doing so respecting the sentiments of the court and keeping in mind the health of citizens.

“We have not cancelled it… but only postponed it till Covid cases decline and the government relaxes Covid rules. We will start from where it has been stopped and will end where it is supposed to be’’, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah told the media at the Ramanagar Congress office this morning. Meanwhile, it is learnt that AICC General Secretary & In-Charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala had sent a message to Karnataka leaders to stop the padayatra immediately in the wake of the negative reactions it evoked among citizens.

On Thursday morning, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai wrote two separate letters to Siddaramaiah and KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar requesting them to call off the padayatra since the state government was committed to implementing the balancing reservoir project at Mekedatu. “Let us stop the padayatra and face Covid-19 effectively,” he said.

The CM also held talks with State DG&IGP Praveen Sood and issued directions to ramp up security in Ramanagar City in case the Congress defied the orders and marched towards Bengaluru City. A large posse of police personnel was posted at Ijur Circle in Ramanagar from where the padayatra was supposed to start on Thursday.

On Thursday, BBMP also cancelled permission given to the KPCC to hold the rally at the National College Grounds. On Wednesday night, senior officers had gone to the Kanakapura residence of Shivakumar to serve him the notice issued by the deputy commissioner of Ramanagar instructing him to stop the padayatra. But the Congress leader refused to accept it.