Police won't give permission to BJP-JDS foot march, but won't stop it: Karnataka HM G Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said the police will not give permission to the opposition BJP and JD(S)’ foot march in protest against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), including to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi, but won’t stop them.

BJP and JD(S) have decided to hold a week-long foot march from Bengaluru to Mysuru from August 3 to 10 over the alleged MUDA ‘Scam’.

“We will not give permission for the padayatre (foot march), let them (BJP-JDS) do it, we won’t say no, but the police department will not officially give any permission,” Parameshwara said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, “Let them protest. There will be several legal matters so we don’t give permission. Even we were not given when we held the padayatre (When BJP was in power). We did it too (without permission). We won’t stop them…we will facilitate and ensure no problem happens to them.”

Asked whether Congress is making any plans to counter opposition’s foot march, Parameshwara said, the party state president D K Shivakumar is preparing a strategy.

“We will have to counter it. They are doing politics, so we too will have to do politics. We will do it from the party, not by using the government,” he said.