Karnataka BJP to Launch Five-Day March Against Vande Mataram Decision

Bengaluru, September 12 (Daily Kiran) : Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra announced on Saturday that the party will initiate a five-day march across all 224 assembly constituencies starting September 15. This action aims to oppose the state government’s recent decision regarding the national song ‘Vande Mataram.’

During a press conference at the state BJP office, Jagannath Bhavan, Vijayendra stated that party workers and citizens will meet with tehsildars and deputy commissioners to voice their dissent. The BJP plans to submit memoranda and pressure the state government to retract its decision.

“‘Vande Mataram’ is not merely a song; it inspired millions of Indians during the freedom struggle and instilled a sense of patriotism among the people,” he emphasized. He criticized the government’s allowance of only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram,’ contrasting it with the central government’s directive that all six stanzas should be sung.

Vijayendra expressed disappointment in Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s decision, suggesting it was made to appease minority groups. He urged the Chief Minister to take a lesson from Jammu and Kashmir’s former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who ensured that all six stanzas were sung.

The BJP leader also commented on recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids linked to Karnataka’s Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi. He alleged that discussions within the Congress party indicate that someone with insider knowledge may have tipped off the ED.

“Jarkiholi himself stated that those who complained to the ED should be identified,” Vijayendra noted, raising questions about potential internal conflicts within the Congress party regarding Jarkiholi’s ambitions for the chief ministership.

He asserted that the BJP had no involvement in the ED’s actions and speculated that the raids might stem from internal strife within Congress and the ongoing power struggle for leadership.

Vijayendra suggested that the information provided to the ED could have been motivated by concerns that Jarkiholi posed a threat to others in the race for chief minister.

The press conference also included notable figures such as N. Ravikumar, the opposition chief whip in the legislative council, along with BJP state general secretaries N.S. Nandisha Reddy and Pritam Gouda, and Dheeraj Muniraju, state president of the youth wing.