Congress keeps momentum going, sees big response to Freedom Walk

BENGALURU: Congress could not have gotten a better opportunity than the 75th anniversary of the country’s Independence to organise its rank and file and take out the Freedom Walk to boost their morale ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls. Though the party termed the event apolitical, speeches from the leaders targeting BJP at the valedictory clearly indicated that the principal opposition party is ready to take on the ruling BJP government, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Congress seems to have kept the momentum going, starting with the Mekedatu padayatra, demanding the implementation of a balancing reservoir project on Cauvery River in the Old Mysuru region and the massive birthday bash of Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah at Davanagere on August 3.

The events promoted the personality cult of Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, a Congress leader observed. “But the Freedom Walk in the state capital has visibly given an impression that it was a party event giving the much-needed fillip to workers,” he added.

Next in the series is ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which will be led by senior party leader Rahul Gandhi and cover the entire state. It will start from Chamrajanagar and culminate in Bidar in September, just six months before the 2023 Assembly elections. The Freedom Walk on Monday was a big success also because Assembly ticket aspirants brought in a large number of followers from their constituencies to impress the party top brass.

“The Lambani (SC) community is drifting away from Congress. We are with the party as its leadership is responsible for what we are today and living with self-dignity as per the Constitution,” said Savitabai Malleshnaik, a ticket aspirant from the Mayakonda Assembly seat in Davanagere district. Party leader Dr CS Dwarakanath said nomadic tribes who had never seen the state capital got a chance to do so on Monday. The 7.5 km ‘padayatra’ was kickstarted at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna railway station in which thousands of workers and leaders took part.