BJP and JDS Start ‘Mysore Chalo’ Walk Against Alleged Scams in Karnataka

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) opposition alliance in Karnataka began their 10-day ‘Mysore Chalo’ padayatra from Kengeri in Bengaluru to Mysore. The walk is in protest against alleged scams involving the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Valmiki Corporation.

Allegations of Corruption

Karnataka BJP General Secretary P Rajeev stated that the padayatra is a response to the alleged corrupt activities of the Siddaramiah government. He accused the Congress government of using tax money for election purposes and engaging in illegal activities, including the misuse of funds meant for SC and ST communities.

Rajeev said, “The Congress govt which was formed in Karnataka, from day one, has been engaged in corruption activities. Tax money is being used for election purposes. The whole cabinet is engaged in illegal and corrupt activities MUDA, diversion of SC, ST fund and misusing of government fund, Valmiki corporation (scam) amount has been used literally to purchase the liquor and car and gold so in this situation being an opposition party, BJP has taken this very seriously and today we are starting our Padayatra, Mysore Chalo.”

Support from BJP Leaders

BJP state President BY Vijayendra, along with his family, visited Mysore’s Chamundeshwari temple before starting the padayatra. Vijayendra emphasized that the opposition is the voice of the people and that their struggle is to protect the wealth and rights of the people. He called for public support in their effort to remove the corrupt Congress government.

Vijayendra said, “Our ‘Mysore Chalo’ struggle is not person-centred, standing as the voice of the people and protecting the wealth and rights of the people is a struggle of our sincere concern. By that, it is inevitable to remove the corrupt Congress government of the state. In this regard, we are requesting everyone’s cooperation and support for this huge walk to represent the people’s anger, I request the public to join hands with us in this regard.”

Congress Response

On the other hand, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar criticized the BJP’s padayatra, calling it an attempt to create an issue out of a non-issue. He questioned the BJP’s actions during their tenure and labeled their government as scandalous.

Shivakumar said, “Congress wants to ask them what they have done in their tenure. It was the most scandalous government BJP ever had. They are doing padayatra for nothing, they are trying to make an issue out of a non-issue.”

Legal Actions

The Karnataka Governor issued a show-cause notice to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 27. This followed a complaint by social activist Snehamayi Krishna, who accused Siddaramaiah and nine others of forging documents to claim compensation from MUDA. The complaint alleges that fake documents were created to obtain valuable plots of land.

Snehamayi Krishna has raised several questions in his complaint, highlighting alleged wrongdoing by Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, and other family members.

BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.

JDS -: JDS stands for Janata Dal (Secular). It is another political party in India, mainly active in Karnataka.

Mysore Chalo -: ‘Mysore Chalo’ means ‘Let’s go to Mysore’. It is a protest march from Bengaluru to Mysore.

padayatra -: Padayatra is a long walk or march, usually done to protest or raise awareness about an issue.

Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) -: MUDA is a government organization responsible for planning and development in the city of Mysore.

Valmiki Corporation -: Valmiki Corporation is a government body that works for the welfare of the Valmiki community in Karnataka.

General Secretary -: A General Secretary is a high-ranking official in a political party who helps manage the party’s activities.

state President -: A state President is the leader of a political party in a particular state.

Congress government -: The Congress government refers to the government run by the Indian National Congress party.

Deputy Chief Minister -: The Deputy Chief Minister is the second-highest-ranking official in a state government, after the Chief Minister.

DK Shivakumar -: DK Shivakumar is a politician from Karnataka and the current Deputy Chief Minister.

CM Siddaramaiah -: CM Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister of Karnataka, the highest-ranking official in the state government.