BJP's padayatra is a ploy to tarnish CM's image: DCM D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka [India], July 26 (ANI): The BJP leaders in Karnataka are likely to stage a 10-day padayatra against the alleged scams of the Siddaramaiah government. The padayatra is likely to begin on July 31.

On this, Karnataka’s Deputy Minister DK Shivkumar said on Friday, in a press conference at the KPCC office, that the BJP government was trying to tarnish the image of Chief Minister Siddaramiah by planning a padayatra to protest against the Mysore Urban Development Authority's (MUDA) irregularities. 

Addressing the press conference, Shivakumar said, “It was the Congress that introduced padayatras in India. Padayatra is our product. Now, the BJP is planning a padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru against the alleged Muda scam to bring disrespect to CM Siddaramaiah and destabilise the Congress government in the state.”

Further, he added, “ BJP is the master of scams and they are digging their own grave in this case. Karnataka is the biggest state the Congress party is in power in and hence they are trying to bring it down at any cost. Let them do what they want, we will respond to it appropriately.”

“The state government was investigating the Valmiki Corporation case, but the BJP has sent its own agencies to investigate and create unnecessary trouble. Let them fight it out legally rather than trying to garner publicity and target people,” he added.

Further, he said, “They are trying a similar trick by ratcheting up Muda case. The BJP and JDS know that they are losing ground in the State and hence have joined hands to carry out a padayatra. We will expose them in this case by releasing a list of sites illegally allotted during their tenure,”

“The Muda had taken over land belonging to the Chief minister without issuing any notification. Later, it allotted sites as compensation for that land. The bylaws allow allotment of sites if land is acquired without any notification. The Chief Minister’s family has not asked for sites in specific locality but accepted whatever was allotted by the Muda. These sites were allotted during the previous government,” he added.

He also said, “Sites have been allotted to others during the same time and the minister concerned will give details on this. We will reveal the scams that took place during the BJP government. As far as the CM’s family is concerned, everything has happened within the legal framework,” 

When asked about the BJP’s plan to stage a protest against the alleged Muda irregularities in the Parliament, he said, “It is just a conspiracy to destabilise our government as they are scared that the INDIA alliance is getting stronger by the day.”

“On each day of the BJP-JDS padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru, we will expose one scam a day. The CM has already listed out the scams by the BJP. By doing the padayatra, they have allowed us to expose their scams,” he said.

He also challenged the BJP and said, “Before doing the padayatra, let them answer questions about scams during their tenure. Let them disclose the chief minister, ministers and officials involved in the scams. I am ready for a discussion on this on any media platform or public forum if Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai, and R Ashok are ready to debate,” he said. (ANI)