Cong hopes to make leap of faith with Mekedatu march

If the Covid-19 pandemic is disregarded, then over 4,000 people are expected to show up for the Congress’ 10-day foot march, or padayatra, that starts today from Mekedatu, a gorge some 100 km from Bengaluru, which has kicked up a political storm.

The padayatra is to mount pressure on the government to implement the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project. The 100-km march will start from the Sangama and pass through Kanakapura, Ramanagara and Bidadi, before culminating at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru on January 19.

Much is at stake for Congress, especially its president D K Shivakumar. The padayatra is being seen as the party’s attempt to test the waters, with Karnataka having entered the election year.

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The controversial padayatra, coming as it does amidst a spike in Covid-19 cases, has got the ruling BJP’s goat. The BJP has criticised Congress for delaying the project in its own regime.

The backlash has come from the JD(S), too, with the regional party terming the padayatra as a dummy political initiative, bound to fail.

The project envisages the construction of a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu (Ramanagara district) at the confluence of Kaveri and Arkavathi rivers, to store drinking water for Bengaluru and surrounding areas. It also proposes a 400 MW hydroelectricity plant.

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Karnataka submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Central Water Commission (CWC) in 2019, which was then referred to the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). The DPR is stuck here as Tamil Nadu has opposed the project tooth and nail.

Political analyst A Narayana says the padayatra perhaps heralds the Congress’ campaign for the 2023 Assembly polls. “Given that this is the election year, all parties are looking to strengthen themselves. The Old Mysore region, where JD(S) got most of the votes in the previous elections, is of crucial importance. If Congress doesn’t wake up, BJP will enter the space,” he says.

The padayatra strikes at the core of JD-S’ electoral base in the Old Mysore region.

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JD(S) spokesperson T A Sharavana says Congress “hijacked” the party’s idea. “HD Kumaraswamy had announced three months ago that the party would focus on regional issues, including Mekedatu. The JD(S) will launch Janata Jaladhare on January 26, focusing on water resources, which will be more extensive,” he says.

The Congress’ campaign puts the BJP in an awkward spot. The project remains stuck, even though the BJP is in power both at the state and the Centre. With its own leader K Annamalai protesting against the project in Tamil Nadu and with the BJP looking to make inroads in the state, the party is in a fix.

There is no denying that this could also be Shivakumar’s effort to position himself as a chief ministerial candidate. It’s an opportunity to not just overcome his image as a leader confined to his Kanakapura fief, but also sway the Vokkaliga votes in the region.

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Shivakumar candidly told DH he does not want the foot march to become a one-man show. “Every leader needs to go through struggle and agitation. H D Deve Gowda and BS Yediyurappa are what they are because of their struggles,” he says on what this padayatra means to him. “It’s important to go out there and see what the pulse of the people is.” But, mobilising the party’s cadre for something like this is a challenge, he admits.

Political parties resorting to padayatras is not new. Among the most successful in recent years are H D Deve Gowda’s march (from Channapatna to Bengaluru) against the S M Krishna government in 2003 and the Congress’s march from Bengaluru to Ballari against illegal mining in 2010.

“Padayatra is still one of the most effective ways to reach out to the public and make the government hear public concerns,” former minister R V Deshpande, who was the KPCC president during the 320-km Ballari march that helped the party come to power, says.

Will the Mekedatu march help Congress leap like the fabled goat?

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