Congress to begin stir against Karnataka's Bommai government from September 9

The Congress is planning to start a state-wide campaign against the BJP government in Karnataka from September 9, in which it is expected to launch an aggressive attack on the Basavaraj Bommai-led administration for its failed promises.

Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Dakshina Kannada on Friday, the state unit of the Congress party protested the cancellation of its agitation against price rise by the Karnataka police.

While district units have been asked to mobilise cadres in huge numbers for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's upcoming Bharat Jodo yatra, senior leaders said the upcoming campaign will highlight the failures of both the State as well central BJP governments in Karnataka's development.


Meanwhile, in a series of tweets and through Facebook posts, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah appealed to Modi to answer questions at his event in Mangaluru, asking whether his visit was for "vikasa" (development) or "vinasha" (destruction).

Siddaramaiah questioned the merger of banks such as Syndicate, Corporation and Vijaya, and called it a betrayal of Haji Abdullah, who founded the Corporation Bank in 1906; TMA Pai, Upendra Pai and Vaman Kudva, who had established the Syndicate Bank in 1925, and A B Shetty, who was responsible for the birth of Vijaya Bank in 1931.

Siddaramaiah claimed that police had seized drugs worth Rs 1 crore in Dakshina Kannada in June. Dakshina Kannada occupied the second place in the country in consumption of drugs, he said.

He also took the government to task for the bad condition of highways and other roads and questioned the contribution of three-time MP and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel to the development of the district.

While the Congress is already running a campaign against the BJP for creating infrastructural difficulties due to alleged corruption, state Congress president DK Shivakumar had said on Thursday that each party MLA in the state has been asked to mobilise 5,000 people for the "Bharat Jodo" march that will take place for 21 days in the state.