Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda on Monday, 10 August flagged off the second day of the JD(S) Bidadi padayatra from BGS Circle in Bidadi, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The march is led by JD(S) Youth Wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy — Deve Gowda's grandson and son of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy — and is being held in opposition to the Karnataka government's proposed Bidadi Township project and in support of farmers facing land acquisition.

What the Padayatra Demands

The JD(S) has maintained that the march is aimed at spotlighting farmers' concerns and opposing any move that could adversely affect their land and livelihoods. The second day drew a large turnout of party workers as well as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters, with leaders reiterating their commitment to continue raising the issue of farmers' land rights in Bidadi.

Senior JD(S) leaders, legislators, and party workers were present at the flag-off, signalling the party's intent to sustain pressure on the ruling Congress government over the township proposal.

Deve Gowda Questions Congress Intentions

Speaking to reporters after flagging off the march, Deve Gowda trained his fire directly on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, questioning the rationale and timing of the township project. 'What is the intention behind the Bidadi Township project? Whom are they trying to benefit? Why are they trying to implement it within 60 days of becoming Chief Minister?' he asked.

Deve Gowda further pressed Shivakumar on why the project was not initiated when the latter served as Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister. 'When D.K. Shivakumar was the Deputy Chief Minister and was in charge of Bengaluru, why did he not take it up then? Why are they trying to implement a township project that did not exist for all these years now?' he said.

He also highlighted that more than 20,000 Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) sites were lying vacant in Bengaluru, questioning the need for an additional township. Deve Gowda further accused the Congress government of appropriating a project originally announced by former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. 'Kumaraswamy had announced the township project. Now they are saying that we are only continuing it. Congress aborted the child of Kumaraswamy's township project,' he remarked.

BJP Backs Farmers, Aligns with JD(S) on the Issue

Karnataka BJP president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Monday asserted that there was no ambiguity within the BJP over its stand on protecting Bidadi farmers. 'There is no confusion for the BJP when it comes to protecting the land and interests of Bidadi farmers. Both the BJP and JD(S) are fighting for the interests of farmers, and protecting farmers' interests is our common objective,' Vijayendra said.

The alignment between the BJP and JD(S) on the Bidadi issue is notable given the two parties' formal alliance at the national level, and reflects a shared opposition interest in keeping the Congress government on the defensive over land acquisition concerns.

Leaders Who Participated

Among those who took part in the second day of the padayatra were former ministers D.C. Thammanna and C.S. Puttaraju, MLAs H.C. Balakrishna, G.D. Harish Gowda, Sharanagouda Kandakur, Swaroop Prakash, and Suresh Babu, along with Shidlaghatta MLA Ravikumar.

The padayatra is expected to continue in the coming days, with the JD(S) signalling it will escalate its campaign if the Karnataka government proceeds with the township project without addressing farmers' concerns.