Illegal mining: Cong walk to Bellary begins

Amid sounds of bugles,beating of drums and slogan chanting Bellary Bachao and BJP Hatao Congress on Sunday launched its campaign against two-year-old BJP government in Karnataka....

Amid sounds of bugles,beating of drums and slogan chanting Bellary Bachao and BJP Hatao Congress on Sunday launched its campaign against two-year-old BJP government in Karnataka,with its Bangalore to Bellary padayatra protesting against illegal mining and its administrative failures.

Veteran Congress leaders K Sriramulu and K H Ranganath,putting aside their old-age and ill-health,inaugurated the 320-km padayatra at the Freedom Park here in the presence of a well attended gathering of partymen. Sriramulu,who was a minister in the late D Devaraj Urs ministry and is credited with launching a battle against hotel owners for charging higher rates for food items served to customers,symbolically handed over a handful of soil to KPCC president R V Deshpande urging the party to save Karnataka from BJP rule.

The ceremony was in tune with Congresss campaign walk for saving the state.

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Former minister K H Ranganath handed over a sapling to opposition Congress leader Siddaramaiah,who is leading the oust-BJP agitation,in the backdrop of Congress stir accusing Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa government of its failure to check loot of resources.

The principle opposition party,to ensure that its movement against saffron party government enjoyed support of a cross-section of people shorn of political barriers roped in freedom fighters like H S Doreswamy,Jnanapeetha awardee U R Ananthamurthy,noted writer Baragur Ramachandrappa,B T Lalitha Naik,Prof Ravivarma Kumar and C S Dwarakanath,former chairman of Backward Classes Commission.

Doreswamy and Ananthamurthy slammed the BJP rule and Sriramulu charged the government of focussing its attention towards mobilising resources to fund elections.

The administration has gone astray. There is a need to bring it on track, Ananthamurthy said.

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Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes said,The padayatra is meant to send message to the people about misrule of the BJP government.

The Lokayukta probe had brought forward the issue of irregularity in mining and the Chief Minister himself admitted to illegal mining in the state.

Siddaramaiah charged that the government had betrayed the people and allowed illegal mining and illegal export of iron ore.

In Odisha, Modi mounts ‘loot tantra-vs-bachat utsav’ attack on Congress over GST

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday hailed the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) structures, saying the era of “double bachat (saving) and double kamai (income)” has arrived under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule. Addressing the ' Namo Yuva Samabesh' in Jharsuguda, Modi accused the Congress of indulging in “loot tantra (tactics)” while in power.

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