BJP leaders B.Y. Vijayendra, Jagadish Shettar, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, R. Ashok and others raising slogans against the State government during the Janakrosha Yatre in Belagavi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER

BJP leaders participated in Belagavi on Wednesday in the Janakrosha Yatre, a rally to protest against what it calls rise in prices of essential commodities due to the wrong policies of the State government.

Protestors marched from Basaveshwar Circle to Shivaji Park in South Belagavi. They shouted slogans against the State government and demanded that it withdraw all price hikes.

State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok, party MP Jagadish Shettar, the former Minister B. Sriramulu, MLAs Abhay Patil, Vithal Halagekar and Balachandra Jarkiholi, Nikhil Katti and Duryodhan Aihole, the former MLAs Mahantesh Dodagoudar and Sanjay Patil, MLC N. Ravikumar, the former MLC Mahantesh Kavatagimath, party leaders Subhash Patil and Geeta Sutar and others were present.

Later, Mr. Vijayendra and others addressed the rally. He said that the Congress government is indulging in unashamed Muslim appeasement.

“The State budget has schemes for reservation for Muslim contractors and foreign scholarships for Muslim students. But no such facilities are available for Hindus. If this is not appeasement, what else is?” he said.

He said that the State government has earned such a bad name among the common people that they are waiting for an opportunity to unseat it. “The BJP will definitely come back to power in 2028,” Mr. Vijayendra said.

He said that the State government is extremely corrupt and anti-people.

Mr. Ashok said that the State government is trying to turn Karnataka into a mini-Pakistan with its appeasement policies and for not taking strict action against Muslims involved in criminal activities.

“The Congress is utilising the caste census report to divide society. It is hiding the fact that Scheduled Castes constitute 24% of the population and therefore, are the largest chunk, but is highlighting the fact that Muslims form the largest chunk. This an act of injustice,” Mr. Ashok said.

He suspected that there is an invisible foreign hand behind such conspiracies.

“Mr. Siddaramaiah knows that his time as Chief Minister is up. He is vacating his seat after two-and-a-half years. That is why he is busy in looting the State,” Mr. Ashok said.

MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said that the assertion by some Congress leaders that B.R. Ambedkar had said that V.D. Savarakar and others were responsible for his defeat, is a false claim.

“Mr. Siddaramaiah and others are only telling several lies now-a-days. Most Congress leaders seem to be influenced by the junior Kharge in their Cabinet,” he said.