Karnataka Congress decides to postpone Mekedatu Padayatra

Bengaluru, Jan 13: Karnataka Congress's 10-day 'padyatra' (march), demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project across the Cauvery river, has been postponed.

Senior State Congress leaders hold a meeting in Ramanagara to discuss the future course of action regarding Mekedatu Padayatra in wake of the cancellation of permission for the padayatra's final event in Bengaluru & the high court's observation.

Meanwhile, several Congress leaders have tested positive for Covid-19, sparking fears of a 'super spread' of the disease amid the densely-packed rally.

Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Veerappa Moily and others have tested positive for the disease, while several others are down with Covid-like symptoms, such as fever. Moily and Kharge had both been part of the inauguration ceremony for the padyatra.

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai has urged LoP Siddaramaiah and State Congress chief DK Shivakumar to call off Mekedatu Padayatra in view of rising COVID cases.

The 10 days padayatra with the theme 'Namma Neeru Namma Hakku' (Our water, Our right) that began at Sangama, the confluence of Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers at Kanakapura in Ramanagara district on Sunday under the leadership of Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, will be spanning a distance of nearly 139 km.

On Wednesday, Karnataka logged 21,390 new cases of the viral illness, while 10 more patients succumbed due to it, a health department bulletin showed. There were 874 recoveries as well, as per the bulletin. With this, the cumulative infection tally stands at 3,099,519 including 38,389 deaths.