Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra intensified his party's offensive against the ruling Indian National Congress government on Wednesday, 2 September, as the Ballari Chalo padayatra entered its second day near Raichur. Flagging off the march's second leg, Vijayendra alleged that corruption and demands for 'commission' payments had become so entrenched that even legislators within the ruling party were compelled to write to the Chief Minister about it.

The Congress MLA Letter That Fuelled the Attack

At the centre of Vijayendra's broadside was a letter reportedly written by Congress MLA Ashok Rai to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, flagging alleged commission demands within the government. Vijayendra cited the letter as evidence of systemic rot. 'The fact that ruling party MLA Ashok Rai himself has written to the Chief Minister over the commission issue shows how rampant the practice has become,' he told reporters. 'If allegations are being made that seven per cent commission has to be paid to a minister, people should understand the level to which this government has sunk,' he added.

The BJP leader argued that the Opposition was no longer alone in raising these concerns — a point he said exposed the depth of the problem within the Congress administration itself.

Drought Relief and Farmer Distress

Vijayendra also turned his fire on the state government's handling of the ongoing drought crisis, alleging discrimination in the declaration of drought-hit taluks. He claimed that despite severe rainfall deficiency across the state, the government had declared only 101 taluks as drought-affected, leaving several others without relief. In a pointed remark, he said sarcastically: 'If the remaining taluks have to be declared drought-affected, perhaps the farmers too will have to pay a commission to the government.'

He argued that farmers grappling with crop failures, deficient rainfall, and mounting debt deserved immediate government support — not a administration, he alleged, preoccupied with extracting commissions.

BJP's Challenge to Congress: Dissolve the Assembly

Escalating his rhetoric, Vijayendra challenged the Congress government to dissolve the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and seek a fresh popular mandate if it was unable to govern. 'If the Congress government cannot run the government, there is no need for it to cling to power. Dissolve the Assembly, go before the people and face an election. Is the Congress ready to accept the people's verdict?' he asked.

He framed the padayatra not as a conventional party programme but as a people's movement, saying public anger against the government was the driving force behind the march.

About the Ballari Chalo Padayatra

The Ballari Chalo march is a 10-day, 175-km padayatra being conducted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), originating from Lingasugur and culminating at Ballari. The route covers approximately nine Assembly constituencies across Raichur and Ballari districts. The march is designed to highlight what the BJP describes as the administrative failures of the Congress government in Karnataka.

As the padayatra moves deeper into its schedule, all eyes will be on whether the Congress government responds to the commission allegations — and how the ruling party's own dissenting voices, such as MLA Rai's reported letter, shape the political narrative ahead.