BENGALURU, 29 JULY

Karnataka police will not grant permission to the planned BJP-JD(S)’ foot march, Home Minister G Parameshwara declared on Monday, as the ruling Congress said the Opposition's move seeking to highlight alleged scams and put the government on the mat would be countered politically.

BJP State President BY Vijayendra asserted that the week-long foot march from here to Mysuru from 3 August — demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged scam in the allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), including to his wife Parvathi, and financial irregularities in a State-run corporations, cannot be suppressed.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the ruling Congress will counter politically Opposition's foot march.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said: "We will not give permission for the 'padayatra' (foot march), let them (BJP-JDS) do it; we won't say no, but police department will not officially give any permission." "Let them protest. There will be several legal matters so we don't give permission. Even we were not given when we held the padayatra (When BJP was in power). We did it too (without permission). We won't stop them...we will facilitate and ensure no problem happens to them," he said.

Asked whether the Congress is making any plans to counter the opposition's foot march, Parameshwara said State President DK Shivakumar is preparing a strategy.  "We will have to counter it. They are doing politics, so we too will have to do politics. We will do it from the party, not by using the government," he said.

Meanwhile, asserting that their struggle and foot march cannot be suppressed, Vijayendra, speaking at a preparatory meeting here for the foot march, said his party workers will not shy away from the protest because of "barren threats" of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

Siddaramaiah said in Mysuru: "What is there in MUDA to put a black spot on me? I have already formed a judicial commission to probe into it. Have they (opposition) ever formed a judicial commission during their tenure? There is no fault on my part, still, as there should be no suspicion in the minds of the people, a judicial commission has been formed."  -PTI