Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said the governments at the State and Centre were working with scant regard to the woes of the common man — the farmer, the worker and others.
At a time when the economic crisis has only deepened due to COVID-19 pandemic, the governments have ignored the common man who have been hit hard by the steep rise in the prices of essential commodities. People were fed up with governments and as such, the Congress had launched the Jana Dhwani Padayatra to lend support to their voice, Mr. Shivakumar said.
He was speaking at the valedictory of Udupi District Congress Committee’s Jana Dhwani Padayatra from Hejmady on Dakshina Kannada border to Byndoor close to Uttara Kannada border in Udupi district.
Jana Dhwani Padayatra was not just Congress’ programme; but a symbol of the common man’s woes. People had supported the padayatra in large numbers throughout, thereby extending solidarity with the Congress.
Mr. Shivakumar said the Central government has resorted to merger of nationalised banks. Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had once nationalised Corporation, Canara, Vijaya, and SyndicateBanks that were born in this region of the country. Now, the government has merged these banks against the wishes of customers and general public. It was surprising that MPs of the region were silent when banks that had offered economic strength to the region and the country were merged, he said.
While the Congress had focussed on nationalisation of assets, the present government was moving in the reverse direction by privatising all of them. Employment generation has stopped. Manual workers, including weavers, tailors, hair dressers, construction workers and many others had lost employment for six months during the COVID-19 lockdown. Governments did not respond to their problems. Fishermen in coastal Karnataka were not getting diesel subsidy since five months. Yet, the governments have remained mute to all these issues, Mr. Shivakumar castigated.
He said the Jana Dhwani Padayatra would continue in all the districts of the State. The Congress was confident of securing majority on its own during the 2023 Assembly elections.
Former Ministers Vinay Kumar Sorake, Abhayachandra Jain, and Pramod Madhwaraj, former MLA K. Gopala Poojari and others were present.
