BS Yediyurappa Launches BJP’s Ballari Chalo Padayatra in Lingasugur, Calls It ‘Voice of Six Crore Kannadigas’
Lingasugur (Raichur)/Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa launched the BJP’s Ballari Chalo padayatra led by state president B.Y. Vijayendra in Lingasugur, describing the march as a clarion call reflecting the aspirations of six crore Kannadigas and declaring that the party’s agitation would continue until the Congress government was removed from power.
The padayatra was inaugurated with Yediyurappa sounding a ceremonial bugle, while the Raitha Geethe was also sung at the programme.
Addressing the gathering, Yediyurappa accused the state government of being anti-farmer, anti-people, anti-development and anti-women, besides alleging that it was involved in corruption. He said the BJP would continue its fight until the government was ousted.
Yediyurappa said the event was not an election campaign meeting but the beginning of an agitation with the resolve to remove what he described as a corrupt Congress government.
Questioning the functioning of the Chief Minister, Yediyurappa asked whether the Chief Minister had the freedom to take decisions and alleged that he had to travel to Delhi and approach Rahul Gandhi over every issue. He questioned whether such conduct was appropriate for the office of Chief Minister.
The former Chief Minister appealed to the public to support the padayatra, describing it as the first step in the BJP’s agitation. He said the party would seek to make people aware of what he alleged was looting by the state government.
BJP state general secretary P. Rajeev, who conducted the programme, alleged that the state government had treated some areas unfairly while declaring drought-hit regions and had failed to take adequate steps to provide relief.
Rajeev said every step of the padayatra represented the BJP’s support for farmers and added that the march also carried the voice of Dalits.
