Mangaluru: The BJP and Congress in Dakshina Kannada held separate protests in the city on Thursday.The BJP held a protest raising slogans against the state Congress govt opposing the hike in milk price and bus fare. The Congress staged a stir slamming the central BJP government with the slogan ‘Vote Bachao-Desh Bachao’.Cong burdening the public: BJPCondemning the recent hike in KSRTC bus fares and milk prices, BJP district president Satish Kumpala and Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath led a protest outside the BJP party office near PVS Circle.MLA Kamath accused the Congress govt of burdening the public to fund the party’s national political activities. “There are upcoming elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and bundles of money must be sent to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from this state. They are hiking fares to loot money for this,” he alleged.Questioning the govt’s financial management, Kamath said, “CM DK Shivakumar has already announced that there is no money even to put diesel in buses.” Referring to successive fare hikes, he added, “Earlier, Siddaramaiah had increased the fares by 15%, and now DK Shivakumar has increased them by 25 to 40%.”Satish Kumpala criticised the govt’s failure to fulfil its pre-election promises. “Instead of fulfilling guarantees, this is a govt that has cheated the people of the state,” he said. The BJP leaders warned of intensifying statewide protests if the price hikes were not withdrawn immediately.BJP snatches voting right: CongAt the ‘Vote Bachao-Desh Bachao’ public movement event organised by the Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee (DCC) near the city’s Clock Tower, DCC president Padmaraj R Poojary said that voting is a powerful force in a democratic system, but the Election Commission is conspiring to snatch that right away from voters to benefit the BJP. It has become necessary to take to the streets and fight across the country for the rights of the people, he said.Former minister and Congress leader Ramanath Rai said that it is now public knowledge that the BJP has resorted to vote theft through SIR. The public must realise the gravity of this issue. He noted that US President Trump suffered a setback in his country, and a similar situation has now affected Modi, the results of which will become evident in the coming days.SDPI, AAP blame BJP, Cong, JD(S)SDPI state president Abdul Majeed said that the common man is being squeezed from both sides by the state and central govts. Addressing a press conference on Thursday he said, “While the state govt deceives people by raising internal taxes, service charges, and registration fees under the pretext of welfare schemes, the central govt has driven up the cost of living through price hikes in fuel and essential food items without passing on global market benefits to the public.”In a separate press meet, AAP state vice-president Vivekananda Salins said that the govt, led by CM DK Shivakumar, is facing political instability and administrative stagnation.The party also criticised the opposition, BJP and JD(S), for abandoning their responsibilities to question the ruling party. Emphasising the urgent need for a transparent “third alternative,” AAP called for a new political force to restore genuine governance in the state.
