Police Stop JD(S) Bidadi Protest Padayatra at Kaniminike

Police blocked a Janata Dal (Secular) padayatra protesting against the proposed Bidadi Township project at Kaniminike on Monday as it crossed the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway toll plaza to enter Bengaluru Urban district. JD(S) Youth Wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who was leading the march from Bidadi to Bengaluru, called off the yatra midway following a heated exchange with the police and announced a protest rally at Freedom Park on August 18.

The march was halted as soon as it crossed the toll plaza near Kaniminike. JD(S) leaders and workers strongly objected to the police barricading their route and raised slogans against the State government. In protest against the police action, Mr. Nikhil sat on the road. As tension escalated at the spot, he eventually announced that the padayatra would be called off, accusing the government of attempting to suppress the farmers' agitation.

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, who had flagged off the second day of the padayatra on Monday morning, condemned the police intervention. Mr. Deve Gowda questioned why the authorities had stopped the march if Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar maintained that the government would not force farmers to give up their lands. He alleged that the Chief Minister was rushing to implement the project to fulfil promises made to the Congress high command.

The proposed Bidadi Township project has turned into a major political conflict between Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and the JD(S) in the region. Hitting back at the Chief Minister's recent statement that land compensation for the project could be as high as ₹3 crore per acre, Mr. Nikhil described the initiative as a "real estate project" and asserted that farmers could not be bought with money.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar dismissed the protest while speaking to reporters in Malur. He claimed that there were no farmers in the padayatra and alleged that the parties had gathered party workers from other constituencies for the event. Following the police action, JD(S) leaders confirmed that H.D. Deve Gowda will lead the upcoming rally at Freedom Park on August 18 to continue their opposition to the project.