As the day-and-night dharna seeking restoration of conservation reserve tag for the biodiversity-rich Kappatagudda in Gadag entered the second day on Tuesday, yoga and karate enthusiasts extended supported by participating in the dharna.
Even before the activists participating in the dharna woke up at the Gandhi Circle in Gadag, the yoga and karate enthusiasts reached the spot to extend their support and wished the protesters by giving them roses.
While seer of Tontadarya Mutt Sri Siddhalinga Swami is leading the campaign along with founder of Samaj Parivartan Samudaya S.R. Hiremath, several religious heads, social activists, students and politicians from different political parties, including the ruling Congress, have extended support to the agitation to save the biodiversity-rich Kappatagudda from the clutches of the mining mafia.
On day two of the dharna, in fact some of the protesters performed yoga after around 60 yoga enthusiasts from the Patanjali Yoga Kendra began practising various asanas at the protest site. Social activist Ravi Krishna Reddy, who is participating in the protest, joined them and performed some of the asanas.
Karate enthusiasts from the Mushthi Karate Academy too joined the protest. They gave roses to the protesters, including Mr. Hiremath, and then showcased their skills as a mark of their support to the agitation.
Later, addressing a joint press conference with Raghavendra Kushtagi of Jana Sangram Parishat (JSP), Mr. Hiremath set a 5 p.m. [Wednesday] deadline for the State government to issue a notification restoring the conservation reserve tag to Kappatagudda. “Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and district in-charge Minister H.K. Patil should get the order issued from the government before 5 p.m. on Wednesday. If it does not happen, then a jatha will be taken from Siddaramana Hundi to Kappatagudda between April 14 and May 1,” he said.
Mr. Raghavendra Kushtagi said that it was condemnable that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had undertaken a padayatra against the mining mafia as Opposition leader, had now sided with the mining mafia.
He alleged that for the sake of politics and to finish off the political life of Mr. H.K. Patil, Mr. Siddaramaiah was trying to hand over Kappatagudda to the mining mafia.
