On Monday, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi will flag off the yatra, which will span 16 days, covering nearly all districts in Karnataka.
Published Apr 06, 2025 | 6:47 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 06, 2025 | 6:47 PM
Senior Karnataka BJP leaders at the protests against the Congress government. (X)
Synopsis: The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to launch a 16-day ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’ from Mysuru on 7 April, protesting against the Congress-led Karnataka government. Senior BJP leaders are expected join the march, which follows demonstrations over rising prices and controversial reservation policies. Interestingly, Janata Dal (Secular), has stayed away from the protests, despite being a key ally of the BJP in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch its ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’ from Mysuru on Monday, 7 April, following two days of protests against the Congress-led Karnataka government.
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi will flag off the yatra at around 4pm. On the first day, the march will start from the Central Post Office and proceed to Ashoka Circle. The yatra will span 16 days, covering nearly all districts in Karnataka.
Senior BJP leaders including State President BY Vijayendra, Former Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, and Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, along with the MLAs and MLCs of the party, are expected to participate.
“The protest will be held in four different stages against the misgovernance by Congress in Karnataka. It will go on for 16 days and we will walk in every district for 1.5 kilometres,” R Ashoka told reporters.
“We will also communicate with people during these gatherings across Karnataka. We want to create awareness among people about the wrongdoings of the government.”
The yatra follows the BJP’s day-and-night protest on 2 and 3 April against the state government over price hikes on essential commodities, the allocation of 4 percent reservation to Muslims in contract works, and the alleged misuse of Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan funds.
Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, R Ashoka, CT Ravi, G Janardhan Reddy, SR Vishwanath, C K Ramamurthy, Chalavadi Narayan Swamy and other senior leaders took part, demanding a rollback of the price hikes.
Several leaders were detained by police on the final day of the protest as they attempted to lay siege to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s official residence.
BY Vijayendra called the protest a success.
Interestingly, legislators from the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], the BJP’s key ally in the state, have been absent from the protests.
“The decisions are taken in a hurry and it should be taken after consulting both the parties. I will ask BJP President Vijayendra to include our cadres in the protests not just inside the assembly hall but outside the assembly too,” JD(S) MLC C B Suresh Babu said, explaining the party’s absence.
On Sunday, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy played down reports of any rift between the two parties.
“We will hold a meeting soon and set up a coordination committee so that both the party members coordinate easily,” he said, adding that he would tour 15 districts to strengthen the JD(S) base.
Meanwhile, Former BJP State President CT Ravi did not respond to requests for comment.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
