The BJP will hold a day-long Bengaluru price hike protest at Freedom Park on November 11, demanding the rollback of increased prices for milk, curd, ghee and bus tickets, party state president BY Vijayendra said on Sunday.
The protest is scheduled from 10am to 6pm and will be attended by BJP MLAs, MPs, MLCs and state office-bearers, according to the announcement. The party plans to follow the Bengaluru demonstration with marches at district headquarters and protests in every assembly constituency.
Vijayendra accused the Congress government of repeatedly increasing the cost of essential goods and public services. He claimed that milk prices had risen by Rs 8 per litre, while prices of various milk products had increased by Rs 12 to Rs 13. He also said ghee had become costlier by Rs 180 per kg and curd by Rs 14.
The BJP leader said the government should absorb the additional Rs 7 per litre incentive being paid to dairy farmers instead of passing the cost on to consumers. The claims were made as part of the party’s demand for a rollback of the recent increases.
The planned protest also covers bus fares, which are a direct concern for daily commuters across Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. Vijayendra claimed that commuters in some areas would face fare increases of 70% to 80%. He attributed financial stress in state transport corporations to unpaid dues under the Shakti scheme and alleged that this had affected bus services, particularly in rural areas.
The Shakti scheme has made public transport finances a central issue in the political dispute, although the announcement did not include an official response from the state government or transport corporations to the allegations. The proposed Bengaluru protest is therefore expected to combine demands over household consumption costs with criticism of the funding pressures facing public bus services.
Vijayendra also criticised the government’s appeal to private companies to adopt 2,000 government schools, arguing that reliance on corporate social responsibility funds reflected inadequate public funding for education and development. The BJP’s next stated steps are district-level marches and protests in every assembly constituency after the Freedom Park event.
