The Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) on Thursday, 26 June issued a sharp warning to the ruling Congress in Karnataka, threatening to launch a counter-poster campaign outside Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's residence and the Congress party headquarters in New Delhi if attacks on Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's family continued. The warning escalates an already heated political confrontation centred on the controversial Bidadi Township project near Bengaluru.

What JD(S) Alleged

Greater Bengaluru JD(S) President and former legislator H.M. Ramesh Gowda, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, accused the Congress of running a deliberate 'poster culture' campaign designed to tarnish the personal image of Kumaraswamy and his family. He described the practice as evidence of the party's 'moral decline' and a calculated attempt to divert public attention from the farmers' agitation against the Bidadi Township project.

'If Congress leaders continue to put up malicious posters against Kumaraswamy's family, we too will be compelled to launch a poster campaign outside LoP Rahul Gandhi's residence and the Congress party office in New Delhi,' Ramesh Gowda said.

Kumaraswamy's Intervention

Ramesh Gowda claimed that JD(S) workers, angered by the poster campaign, had already proposed carrying out a counter-campaign in Delhi highlighting alleged corruption and irregularities involving Congress leaders. He said Kumaraswamy personally stepped in to dissuade party workers from pursuing such action.

'Our leader told workers that such a culture should not enter our party. He advised them against responding in the same manner, despite their anger,' Ramesh Gowda said. He warned, however, that the party's restraint should not be mistaken for weakness.

The Bidadi Township Dispute

At the heart of the standoff is the Karnataka government's proposed Bidadi Township project, which critics say would require the acquisition of agricultural land, adversely affecting farmers in the region. JD(S) has positioned itself as the primary political voice of the farmers opposing the project, and alleges that the Congress government is using personal attacks on Kumaraswamy to deflect from the agitation rather than address its demands.

'We are fighting for the rights of Bidadi farmers. Instead of addressing their concerns, the Congress government is trying to derail the movement through a campaign of personal vilification,' Ramesh Gowda alleged.

Demands and Warning

Ramesh Gowda urged the Karnataka government to withdraw the Bidadi Township project entirely, warning that proceeding with land acquisition could trigger widespread public resentment and carry serious political consequences for the ruling party. He said public anger was growing and cautioned the government against underestimating the strength of the agitation.

'The government is trying to build a township on the livelihoods of farmers. If the project proceeds, it could have serious political consequences for the ruling party,' he said. The political temperature over the Bidadi project is expected to rise further as both sides show little sign of backing down.