Bengaluru, Jan. 13: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has called off the Mekedatu padayatra owing to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and said they will continue the march from Ramanagara once the cases come down.
The Padayatra, which had reached Ramanagara on Wednesday, was about to continue from Ramanagara to Bidadi on Thursday. However, as the state government had issued prohibitory orders to stop the rally following the Karnataka High Court taking it to task over the issue, the Ramanagara district police had made all arrangements to stop the padayatra.
Sensing this, the Congress leaders including the KPCC President DK Shivakumar, leader of the opposition Siddaramiah, and others held a meeting at the party office in Ramanagara. After the meeting, Siddaramaiah said that the grand old party has its own responsibility and announced that the padayatra was called off temporarily. He tried to clarify that the decision was taken keeping in mind public health. “We are not stopping the padayatra because we are scared of the government. We will fight until the Mekedatu project is implemented. We will start the padayatra again from Ramanagara,” he added.
Earlier, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had written to the Congress leaders requesting them to stop the rally. “Our government is committed to saving and upholding the interests of the land. The state is witnessing the third wave of COVID-19 and people have been affected by this. This is not the right time to hold padayatra with the participation of a large number of people. We all should stand together in the fight against the pandemic. In the coming days, we can join hands and take appropriate action to ensure implementation of the Mekedatu project,” CM Bommai appealed.
