Vijayendra criticised the Congress' planned protest against the Centre on 17 April as a “hypocritical drama”, but asserted that his party’s own Jan Aakrosh Yatra against the Congress, has been a success.
Published Apr 14, 2025 | 9:13 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 14, 2025 | 9:13 PM
BJP Karnataka President BY Vijayendra
Synopsis: BJP Karnataka President BY Vijayendra has accused the Congress-led state government of spreading misinformation about the Union government to distract from its own policy failures. Defended the BJP’s record on fuel prices, he asserted that his party’s Jan Aakrosh Yatra is seeing widespread public support.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka President BY Vijayendra has accused the Congress-led state government of spreading misinformation about the Union government in an attempt to cover up its own failures.
Speaking at the party office in Bengaluru, on Monday, 14 April, Vijayendra compared the rise in petrol and diesel prices during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government (2004–2014) with that under the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government (2014–present).
He stated that during the UPA’s tenure, petrol prices increased by 90 percent and diesel by 96 percent, whereas under the Narendra Modi-led NDA, the increase was 38 percent – from ₹72 to ₹100 for petrol – and 63 percent – from ₹55 to ₹90 for diesel.
Vijayendra claimed that despite soaring global oil prices during the UPA years, no effective public welfare schemes were introduced. Instead, he said the period was marked only by major corruption scandals, such as the 2G, coal, and Commonwealth Games scams, which he claimed amounted to around ₹12 lakh crore.
In response to the BJP’s ongoing Jan Aakrosh Yatra – a statewide protest rally against the Congress government over rising prices – the Congress had earlier announced that it would be launching its own protest against the Modi-led NDA government regarding the increase in fuel and essential commodity prices.
Vijayendra criticised the planned protest on 17 April as a “hypocritical drama”, but asserted that his party’s own Yatra, which has so far covered 1,115 kilometres across nine districts, has been a success.
He said the march saw significant public engagement in Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Kodagu, Mangaluru, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Yellapur, and Shivamogga.
He claimed that more than 50,000 party workers participated in the first phase of the yatra, and that the event reached 3.5 crore viewers on social media, helping raise awareness about what he described as the “anti-people policies” of the Congress government. He further asserted that as a result, the ruling Congress was now in a state of “panic and confusion”.
He said that the Chief Minister is slowly beginning to recognise the truth and must come out of the illusion created by the so-called guarantee schemes. He stated that the belief that people are satisfied with these schemes is a misconception, and that the BJP’s movement is making the government confront the ground reality.
Addressing the issue of the caste census, Vijayendra said the current exercise was based on a decade-old report.
“You are the Chief Minister now, and it is your government. Conduct a fresh survey—do it scientifically and implement it after calling an all-party meeting,” he urged, dismissing the old report as unscientific.
He further alleged a lack of clarity within the government, citing contradictory statements from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Ministers MB Patil and G Parameshwara.
He suggested that if there is genuine concern, the Chief Minister should place the report before the Cabinet and discuss its pros and cons.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
