Addressing a press conference after reaching Ballari a day ahead of the conclusion of the padayatra, Mr. Vijayendra said the march had received support from BJP workers, the public and the media. He said BJP leaders would visit temples on Thursday morning and resume the march from Valmiki Circle in the city to the venue of the concluding meeting in the afternoon. The stage programme will begin at 4.30 p.m., he said.
Former Chief Ministers B.S. Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and State BJP in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal are among the leaders expected to attend the concluding meeting, Mr. Vijayendra said.
Describing the padayatra as the first phase of the BJP’s campaign against what he termed the “corrupt” Congress government, Mr. Vijayendra said the party would continue its “people-oriented struggle” even after the conclusion of the padayatra.
“The padayatra gave me an opportunity to interact with various sections of people, including women, nomadic communities, farmers and youth, and understand their problems at close quarters. The campaign is a significant turning point in my political career. The experience will remain memorable,” Mr. Vijayendra said.
According to him, 40,000 to 50,000 people are expected to attend Thursday’s meeting. Questioning the district administration’s decision to permit the programme only until 6.30 p.m., he said only the starting time could be fixed and that the conclusion of a peaceful public gathering should be determined by the participants.
He alleged that banners put up for the padayatra had been removed overnight and claimed that officials were acting under pressure from the State government. “The BJP will conduct its protests within the law, but authorities should not use legal provisions as a pretext to obstruct them,” he said.
On the next Assembly elections, Mr. Vijayendra said the BJP would face the polls under the collective leadership of its senior leaders and the guidance of the party’s central leadership.
The Ballari Chalo padayatra began at Lingasugur in Raichur district on September 1 and is scheduled to conclude with a public meeting in Ballari on Thursday.
Though the campaign was originally designed to mount pressure on the State government to sack B. Nagendra, an accused in the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, from the Council of Ministers, the party decided to continue its march to Ballari even after Mr. Nagendra announced his resignation on August 28 by widening the campaign to raise a range of issues against the Congress government in the State.