Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K.Shivakumar has said that he will take out a 10-day march from Mekedatu to Bengaluru, beginning on January 9, to put pressure on the State Government to take up the Mekedatu project.
Addressing a press conference in Hassan on Saturday, Mr. Shivakumar said the construction of a balancing reservoir for the purpose of drinking water and power generation did not require permission from the Centre. “The State Government does not require much time to clear the hurdles in executing the project. However, the government has not held a meeting with the Centre so far. This is an apolitical event. We are inviting leaders of all parties and pro-Kannada organisations”, he said.
He appealed to the public to take part in the march in support of the cause. Those who take part in the march after registering their names in advance would get certificates. Every day the participants would cover 15 to 18 km, he said.
Further, Mr. Shivakumar said the party has begun a membership campaign. The party had set the target of enrolling 25,000 members in each assembly constituency. Those interested could enrol their names either online or offline.
Later, he addressed a meeting of party workers in the city. He appealed to the workers to work towards strengthening the party keeping aside their self-interests. “The Congress has potential to win all seats in Hassan district. The workers should work for the party, not individuals”, he said.
KPCC working president R. Dhruvanarayan, M.A. Gopalaswamy, MLC, and others were present.
