Congress kicks off 'Bellary chalo' yatra in Bengaluru

Nearly 2,000 Congress workers participated in the 'Bellary chalo' rally on Sunday from the press club at Bengaluru to demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the illegal mining scam that has rocked the Karnataka legislative assembly for over a week.

The 15-day rally will end at Bellary where a massive public gathering will be held. The Congress members plan to cover 20 kms everyday on foot across the state.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, who also met Governor H R Bharadwaj, told reporters that the rally was not targeted at any individual. It sought to highlight the 'failure' of the BJP government in Karnataka and seek a CBI probe into the mining scam, he said.

But barely an hour after the rally started, an elderly Congress leader fainted near the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru He was declared dead after he was rushed to the hospital.

The BJP government has decided to hit back by organising another rally from August 2 to highlight the state government's achievements and to 'expose the anti-people stance' of the Opposition.

The BJP leaders plan to hold public meetings in Davangere, Mysore and Bellary.

However, the rally planned by BJP leader and mining baron Janardhan Reddy in August has been cancelled. Sources told rediff.com that the BJP high command did not approve of two separate rallies by the same party that would indicate fissures within the party.