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JD(S) and BJP leaders, including H.D. Kumaraswamy, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, and B.Y. Vijayendra, and their supporters during the padayatra in Mandya on Wednesday.
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A slugfest between two prominent Vokkaliga leaders — Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of the Congress — is dominating the political discourse of the Bengaluru-Mysuru padayatra, launched by the Opposition BJP-JD(S) combine to primarily target Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government he heads.
Ever since the ‘Mysuru chalo’ padayatra was flagged off from Kengeri on August 3, demanding the resignation of Mr. Siddaramaiah over charges of irregularities against him on the issue of site allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) as well as the scam in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd., Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Shivakumar have been exchanging barbs against each other, mostly over their personal wealth.
Perfect platform
The Janandolana rallies, organised by the Congress in various parts of Ramanagara and Mandya districts to counter the Opposition’s padayatra, have given Mr. Shivakumar a perfect platform to train his guns at his bete noire Mr. Kumaraswamy.
The bitter war of words between the two prominent leaders of the Vokkaliga community during the course of the ruling party’s Janandolana rallies and the Opposition’s march appears to have shifted the focus of the padayatra away from the charges against Mr. Siddaramaiah to the allegations of personal wealth accumulated by Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Shivakumar’s family members.
Attack and counter
Even on Wednesday when the padayatra reached Mandya town on its fifth day, Mr. Kumaraswamy chose to respond to the compilation of videos screened by Mr. Shivakumar at the Janandolana rally a day earlier on the “differences” between the alliance partners — BJP and JD(S) — as well as the “U-turns” of the JD(S) leader.
Describing the Deputy Chief Minister as “CD Shivu”, Mr. Kumaraswamy dared him to play the video recordings of Mr. Siddaramaiah’s statements against the Congress and party leader Sonia Gandhi when he was in the Janata Dal (S) years ago. He was responding to the past videos featuring BJP and JD(S) leaders attacking each other.
Reacting to the video in which Mr. Kumaraswamy was claiming that he would secure permission for the Mekedatu project from Prime Minister Narendra Modi within minutes if he became a Minister in the NDA government, the Union Minister said the video had been cut abruptly to remove the latter portion of his statement in which he says that the permission would be secured in minutes if the Congress convinces the Tamil Nadu government headed by its ally DMK.
The BJP does not appear to be impressed with the padayatra remaining focussed on the one-upmanship between the two Vokkaliga leaders of the Congress and the JD(S).
Not about personal wealth
Addressing the gathering in Mandya on Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok said the padayatra was not a struggle against allegations of personal wealth accumulated by either Mr. Shivakumar or Mr. Kumaraswamy, but against the “loot” by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Even though the padayatra is scheduled to conclude in Mysuru on August 10, Mr. Ashok said their struggle would “continue till Mr. Siddaramaiah resigns” while BJP’s State president B.Y. Vijayendra has been reiterating that their struggle is against the “corruption” by Mr. Siddaramaiah and his government.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee headed by Mr. Shivakumar announced the Janandolana rallies after the All-India Congress Committee called upon party leaders to close ranks with Mr. Siddaramaiah and stand by him against the Opposition’s campaign.
