BJP leaders and workers blocking a road during their protest in Kalaburagi on Wednesday (September 2).
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
The Kalaburagi district unit of BJP staged a protest in the city on Wednesday (September 2) demanding that the State government declare the district drought-hit, citing deficit rainfall and widespread crop losses.BJP leaders and party workers took out a march from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, raising slogans against the government and demanding immediate relief for farmers. Protesters also burnt tyres during the demonstration.The protesters alleged that the Congress government had failed to take into account the extent of rainfall deficit and crop damage in Kalaburagi while preparing the list of drought-hit districts. They demanded crop compensation and other relief measures for farmers facing losses.The protest disrupted traffic on the main road for nearly two hours, with protesters stopping buses, cars and autorickshaws attempting to pass through the site. During the road blockade, Rajkumar Patil Telkur, former Sedam MLA, was seen trying to stop vehicles and allegedly attempting to snatch the keys of some vehicles passing through the protest site. However, the police intervened and brought the situation under control.Speaking at the protest, Mr. Telkur criticised the Congress-led government for excluding Kalaburagi from the drought-hit list. He said the district should have been considered in the first phase itself and demanded that drought relief be announced without delay.As the protest continued, the protesters raised slogans and demanded that Deputy Commissioner Ikram Shareef come to the protest site and receive their memorandum. The agitation was called off after he arrived and received the memorandum.BJP MLAs Basavaraj Mattimadu and Avinash Jadhav, Kalaburagi rural district BJP president Ashok Bagali, Kalaburagi city unit president Chandrakant Patil, Umesh Jadhav, former MP, Dattatreya Patil Revoor, former MLA, Nitin Guttedar, Avvanna Myakeri, Santosh Hadimani, Sudha Halkai, and Sharanappa Talwar participated in the protest. Published - September 02, 2026 07:49 pm IST
