Congress' Mekedatu padayatra 2.0 enters final leg in K'taka

Bengaluru, March 2 (IANS) The Congress' padayatra 2.0 demanding the implementation of the Mekedatu project by the ruling BJP government to provide drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding areas entered its final leg on Wednesday.The padayatra will culminate in the National College grounds on Thursday, where the party has organised a large convention.The padayatra, which started from Ramnagar where it was terminated during the peak of the third Covid wave, commenced last Sunday and will cover 78.9 km.Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said that the rally has been successful, putting the ruling BJP in fear mode. State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar stated that the padayatra is the first step towards right over water. He also termed the padayatra as historic in which people from all walks of life took part to make it a huge success.Meanwhile, Karnataka police have lodged FIRs against Congress leaders, including Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, for violating Covid guidelines and rules of prohibition. However, both the leaders have termed lodging of cases against them as a result of political vendetta by the ruling BJP government in the state.The Congress is aiming to connect with the masses in Bengaluru and its surrounding districts with the Mekedatu agitation. Thousands of people have participated in the padayatra, with prominent Lingayat Seer Murugha Rajendra also extending his support to the protest march.
--IANS mka/arm

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