Nelamangala (K`taka): The `Bellary Chalo`
padayatra by Opposition Congress in Karnataka against BJP
government`s alleged "misrule" and "failure" to check illegal
mining entered second day Monday.
After breakfast at Harvard college, where the leaders
stayed overnight, leader of the Opposition in Karnataka
Assembly D Siddaramaiah led the yatra towards Nelamangala and
Tumkur.
Lashing out Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who had taken
the padayatra lightly saying his party had also undertaken
such stirs before, Siddaramaiah said, "Congress has a history
of 125 years. It has held several agitations in the country.
Congress need not learn lessons from BJP."
Yeddyurappa has been camping in Delhi to divert attention
of people over the illegal mining issue, into which Congress
is insisting on a CBI probe, he said.
"Yeddyurappa holds the departments of Forest, Mines
and Geology. Why has he not checked illegal mining and is now
asking the Centre to do it?" Siddaramaiah said flaying the
Chief Minister`s demand at the NDC meeting seeking Central
intervention to ban export of iron ore.
"BJP has no faith in social justice and it is anti-
democratic," said Siddaramaiah, who embarked upon the 320-km
walk to Bellary accepting the challenge thrown at his party by
ministers and mining magnets Janaradhana Reddy, Karunakara
Reddy and Sriramulu daring the Congress to step into Bellary.
KPCC president R V Deshpande said, "This is not our
final stir against the BJP government. It would begin from
August 9, when the padayatra would be culminating at Bellary
in a rally coinciding with the `Quit India Movement` day."
"Countdown for the fall of the BJP government has
begun," he said.
PTI
