As Rahul’s yatra gathers steam in Karnataka, state BJP sharpens its attacks

As the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka, the ruling BJP sharpened its attacks on the march that has been gaining in momentum.

On Friday, the day the yatra entered Karnataka, Rahul was welcomed by a huge gathering at Gundlupet and thousands of party workers and others accompanied the Congress leader on his yatar, which is 3,570-km long out of which 510 km will be in Karnataka. The scenes were similar on Saturday too.

But an incident went viral on Saturday, showing some policemen assaulting and stripping a Congress party worker of his T-shirt which had the ‘PayCM’ image printed on it. The incident occurred when the yatra was moving towards Mysuru from Thondavadi gate, Chamarajanagar.

Also read: Rahul in Karnataka: Everything under govt control, Bharat Jodo Yatra only option for us

Congress leaders condemned the incident and blamed the BJP government for it. “The police are acting like BJP agents,” they alleged.

Full-page advertisement

The BJP is not only attacking Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra on its social media handles, party leaders have been making adverse comments in the public too. The criticism was taken to a higher level when a cover page advertisement appeared in some newspapers asking questions like: ‘Can the great-grandson of Todo Pitamah do Bharat Jodo?’; Can a party that resorted to bloodshed of citizens for getting power, bring unity?’; Can the person who came from a nation-dividing tradition bring unity?’; etc. The advertisement has an image of Akhand Bharat and shows the division with images that resemble Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi.

Answer to PayCM campaign

After the PayCM QR code posters by the Congress riled the BJP and embarrassed its leaders, the BJP leaders had hinted at pay back to the Congress when Rahul Gandhi entered Karnataka for his Yatra. With assembly elections due early next year, the political climate in the state is getting heated up.

On Thursday, posters put up by the Congress to welcome Rahul Gandhi – which also featured images of opposition leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar — were torn off by miscreants.

A pro-Kannada organisation even targeted an English poster and wrote in Kannada that they were protesting the use of English slogans in Karnataka. Interestingly, one of the leaders of that pro-Kannada group is a BJP follower, sources said.

Aggressive Congress

However, such incidents have irked the Congress party. Siddaramaiah said the BJP is worried about the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and that’s why it has come out with advertisement saying that Nehru was the behind the nation’s division and that his great-grandson is conducting this Yatra.

While charging the BJP with using bad language, Siddaramaiah said the Congress has united India. He asked whether any RSS leader like Savarkar, Gowalkar or Hedgewar had participated in the freedom movement.

Siddaramaiah also condemned the incident of a police officer assaulting a party worker and asked the chief minister to suspend him.

Also read: Bharat Jodo Yatra: A new Rahul Gandhi & Congress have emerged, says Jairam Ramesh

“Yatha Mukyamantri, tatha Police,” Siddaramaiah said, pointing out that CM Bommai had talked about following the UP model in the state and police are executing it.

“Mr CM, your party used filthy language against us in the advertisement and we will face it politically,” he retorted. “Please don’t provoke the public to go against the police,” he told the CM.