Udupi: Braving heavy rain, Congress leaders and workers from Udupi and Kaup constituencies staged a joint protest in front of the Udupi taluk office on Monday. The demonstration was part of the party’s statewide Satya Darshan campaign, launched to counter what it calls BJP’s “false propaganda” against the state government.
The protest aimed to raise awareness among citizens about issues including the 9/11 land notification controversy, rejection of applications under sections 53 and 57, suspension of old age pensions and evening security measures, and the recent hike in electricity rates.
Former Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake accused the BJP of actively trying to derail the Congress-led state government’s guarantee schemes. He claimed that the BJP is manipulating beneficiaries of the Grihalakshmi scheme and using them for protests. “The 9/11 issue originated during the Yediyurappa government,” Sorake said. “When I was Urban Development Minister, I had granted exemption for land up to 25 cents in the coastal areas. The BJP later withdrew that benefit.”
Sorake further alleged that the BJP’s pension revisions were introduced in 2020, yet the blame is now being shifted to the Congress. He also criticized the development of a digital app by the BJP for regularization as a superficial move meant for publicity, lacking real implementation.
Leaders including Jayaprakash Hegde, Ashok Kumar Kodavoor, Ramesh Kanchan, Prasad Raj Kanchan, Amrit Shenoy, and others were present at the protest.