Mangaluru:  Congress leaders have displayed their goondaism and audacity by launching Mekedatu padayatra despite Covid-19 ban on political rallies, Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel said on Sunday.

"The state government had banned political rallies of any nature to safeguard the health of people in view of increasing Covid-19 cases in the state, but Congress has flouted the law by taking out the padayatra. The party has displayed its goondaism and audacity. It also shows its misconduct and culture," he said here.

Congress will be held responsible if Covid-19 cases spike because of the padayatra, Kateel said. "People are watching the conduct of the Congress and will suitably reply in coming days," he said.

Kateel alleged that KPCC President DK Shivakumar is adamant to hit the padayatra trail to prove his leadership over his bete noire Siddaramaiah. "It is a political gimmick, nothing else," he said.

Congress is misguiding people by saying that the issue can be solved by the government, but the fact is that the Supreme Court and other tribunals are seized of the matter, Kateel said. "Our government will take a suitable step once the court settles the matter. The Congress is misleading people on Mekedatu," he said.

Kateel also urged Shivakumar to clarify on the lackadaisical attitude of the Congress towards the Mekedatu project when it was in power from 2014 to 2018. "Why did the Siddaramaiah-led government withhold the Detailed Project Report of the proposed project during its rule," he asked.

Earlier in the morning, the Congress launched its padayatra at Sangama, the confluence of Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers in Kanakapura, the home constituency of Shivakumar in Ramanagara district.

Among the prominent participants were Mallikarjuna Kharge, G Parameshwar, Dinesh Gundu Rao, B Ramalinga Reddy, RV Deshpande and DK Suresh.