BJP to protest in Kalaburagi over milk price and bus fare hikes

The BJP’s Kalaburagi district unit will protest on Friday at the Central Bus Stand against hikes in milk prices and KSRTC bus fares, former MLA Dattatreya Patil Revoor announced. Revoor and BJP state spokesperson Sudha Halkai held a joint press conference on Thursday, blaming the Congress government for repeatedly raising the cost of essential items while touting guarantee schemes as welfare. They said the milk price rise and the new bus fare structure shift the financial burden of those schemes onto ordinary citizens. The bus fare increase, they warned, will hit daily commuters, low‑income families and migrant workers travelling for the festival season, adding extra expense at a time when many are already strained. Revoor urged the state to fund transport corporations instead of passing costs to passengers and called for an extended subsidy for the dairy sector rather than higher milk prices. He also criticised the government for failing drought‑hit farmers, noting delayed crop‑insurance payouts and a postponed sugarcane‑crushing schedule, and demanded a fair price for the upcoming harvest. The party said the state’s finances have worsened under Congress, with development lagging behind rising corruption and inflation. Both leaders highlighted water shortages in urban and rural parts of the district, accusing the Kalaburagi City Corporation of inadequate tanker supplies. Halkai demanded a White Paper on pending Gruha Lakshmi scheme payments and greater fiscal transparency. The BJP leaders asked party workers to join the Friday demonstration and warned of wider protests across Karnataka if the price hikes are not withdrawn. ## Context The protest reflects broader political tensions in Karnataka, where opposition parties often mobilise over cost‑of‑living issues to challenge the ruling Congress government, especially during festive periods when price sensitivity is high.