The bandh called on Friday against the shifting of the Kengal Hanumanthaiah Medical College from Ramanagara, which was planned to be constructed at the proposed campus of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences campus, to Kanakapura, received unprecedented support from the public.
Members of the Kengal Hanumanthaiah Medical College Horata Samithi, and various pro-Kannada, pro-farmer, and progressive organisations held a protest and bike rally in the city. BJP Member of Legislature Council (MLC) C.P. Yogeshwar and JDS former Member of Legislature Assembly (MLA) A. Manjunath, a large number of JDS and BJP workers also participated in the protest. This is the first joint protest of JDS and BJP workers after the BJP decided to forge a pre-poll alliance with the JDS.
The protesters raised slogans against the state government, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, his brother, Member of Parliament D.K. Suresh, and the local MLA Iqbal Hussain.
Shop owners closed their shops and extended their support to the bandh. The APMC market had come to a standstill. Schools and colleges declared a holiday. Trading in the cocoon market took place in the afternoon. Vehicular traffic was scarce in the city. But the traffic on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was as usual.
The protesters formed a human chain and blocked the road at Aijoor circle in the city. Later, the protest march started from Kempegowda Circle and proceeded towards the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office.
Mr. Yogeshwar said, “There is no good intention in shifting the medical college from Ramanagara to Kanakapura. If a medical college is constructed in the district center itself, it will benefit all the people of the neighbouring taluks.”
Former MLA A. Manjunath said, “Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had sanctioned RGUHS campus for the district headquarters Ramanagara. Later, the BJP government also initiated the construction of the university. But, the DK brothers are stealing the medical college from here to their constituency. We will give a deadline of 15 days to the government to drop the decision of shifting medical college, then a fierce struggle will be organised.”
JDS youth president Nikhil Kumaraswamy released a media statement saying, “Medical college is the right of the people of Ramanagara district. They also have the right to fight for it.”
