From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jun 14: Strongly condemning the police attempts to prevent Congress party leaders and workers in distributing food kits to the people, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D K Shivakumar said the people will not tolerate the police high-handedness in preventing the party from reaching out to people on the orders of ruling BJP leaders.

Addressing the people at a party function for distributing food kits to the people of Whitefield, Munenakolalu and Kalkere of Mahadevapura and Krishnarajapura Assembly constituencies, the KPCC Chief said the Congress leaders and workers were voluntarily distributing food kits to the poor as a token contribution in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

But the police on the orders of their higher-ups and directions of the ruling party leaders were creating all sorts of obstacles. ``We are distributing the food kits or organizing free vaccination camps in different places by using our own funds. We know it is a small token gesture and does not help the people. Still we are trying to do our best within our means. But we are prevented in several places by the police,’’ he said.

“If the police officers who are preventing Congressmen from reaching out to the people affected by the pandemic, let them wear BJP badges and carry the ruling party flags instead of the police uniforms,’’ he said.

He said the police officers were silent when BJP leaders affixed photos of Prime Minister and BJP leaders on the medicines and food kits distributed from the government, which is tax-payer’s money.

Shivakumar criticized the BJP leaders for trying to derive political mileage by putting the photographs of the Prime Minister and local leaders on the food kits, medicines or vaccines given by using the tax-payers money while Congressmen were helping the people by providing food kits and even financial assistance by spending their own hard-earned money.

The State Congress president said the party had urged Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to sanction a compensation of Rs 10,000 to auto-rickshaw drivers, street vendors and domestic workers was not heeded. The Chief Minister, however, announced cash reliefs ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 to some categories. Even this meagre amount has not reached the people. People do not have earnings and still the prices of essential commodities, petrol and diesel are shooting up. Both the State and Central governments are insensitive to the plight of the people, he said.

He said the people have been forced to stand in queue for getting medicines, food and aid from the government and even for treatment and cremation of the deceased members of the family.

Shivakumar said the party leaders and workers were responding to the call of the Congress party to reach out to the people during the difficult times. BJP minister Aravind Limbavali had put his own and Prime Minister’s photo on the food kits and medicines from the government funds while our party is distributing Rs 1,000 worth of food grains and other essential things to 10,000 people by spending from their own pockets, which should be supported by the people, he said.

The KPCC Chief said policemen were removing the party banners and flags during the distribution of food kits. "It is because of such high-handedness that I dared the police that I will bring the people and stage dharna in front of police stations if the party’s gesture of helping the people was prevented. We respect courts and rule of law. But we cannot be cowed down by police cases,’’ he warned.