Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Sunday announced a five-day padayatra from September 15 across all 224 Assembly constituencies to protest the state government’s decision to restrict the rendition of Vande Mataram at official programmes.
The Congress government has directed that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung at official programmes, with an exception for events attended by the president, vice president, prime minister or governor. He also alleged that the state government had taken the decision to appease minorities. Vijayendra also linked the Enforcement Directorate searches involving Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi and his family to the Congress’s internal political contest, while denying any BJP role in the agency’s action. “There is no role of the BJP in the ED raids.
“Padayatra will be held for five days from September 15 in all Assembly constituencies. He also pointed to Jarkiholi’s reported ambition to become chief minister in 2028 and questioned whether the searches were connected to an internal contest for the post.
He said the Centre had directed that all six stanzas be sung and described Karnataka’s decision to restrict the rendition to two stanzas as unfortunate. Let Shivakumar learn a lesson from the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is in favour of following the Centre’s decision to sing all six stanzas,” he said. He said there was speculation that people within the Congress who possessed information about Jarkiholi may have passed it to the ED and effectively trapped the minister. There is discussion about whether internal differences in the Congress and the fight for the chief minister’s post have led to a conspiracy or a plot,” he said.
Jarkiholi, who faced the ED searches on Saturday, said he knew who had complained against him to the agency and had informed Chief Minister D K Shivakumar about it.
