The Bangalore to Bellary 'padyatra was kicked off with great fanfare on July 25 by Karnataka Congress heavyweights amidst blowing of bugle, slogan shouting and a pooja to draw attention of the public towards the BJP-ruled government's "failures" on various fronts including inability to curb illegal mining in Bellary.

Taking on the gauntlet thrown by the Bellary trioka ministers -- G Karunakara Reddy, G Somashekara Reddy and B Sriramulu -- in the state Assembly on July 9 daring Congress to step on their home turf, its leader Siddaramaiah announced that it would undertake the padyatra to the mining hub and take on the mining czars on their native soil and citadel.

Though initially perceived as a knee jerk reaction by Congress, the huge response received by the 'padyatra' and undaunted spirit with which its leaders marched on unmindful of the scorching heat, heavy downpour, uneven land, and battling physical exhaustion, aching limbs and sore feet, had succeeded in transforming the yatra into serious affair,sending home a strong message that Congress believed in 'walking the talk', political analysts said.

Initially dismissed as a "political gimmick" of the Congress by BJP, the strong support by locals where the padyatra touched and the warm response en route forced the saffron brigade to issue statements denouncing the march, they said.

The 'padyatra' hitting the nail on the head and succeeding in sending jitters down the BJP was evident from the fact that the Bellary minister B Sreeramulu, tonsured his head, plunged into rally mode in parts of Bellary sporting black robes to counter the growing popularity of the padyatra which the Congress leader Siddaramaiah had termed as becoming "a people's padyatra".

Sreeramulu's statement that he had chosen to do so to ward off the evil eye of Congress on Bellary, invited jibe from the Congress which described him as a "political novice".

Sreeramulu's show came in for a flak by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who said, "There was no need for it. Being in the government, they should not have done it."

The closely monitored padyatra invited a series of sharp reaction from the ruling side with the Reddy brothers stating that they would hang themselves if Congress could produce even a single document to establish that they were involved in illegal mining.

The padayatra triggered off blame game between BJP and Congress leaders and also a challenging spree.

While Yeddyurappa repeatedly chanted that Congress leaders were involved in illegal mining, the Reddy brothers, who were in the centre stage of the controversy on the issue challenged Congress leaders to display courage to contest from Bellary.

Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy's challenge met with instant reaction from Siddaramaiah who said he was ready to contest from Bellary provided Yeddyurappa dissolved the state Assembly and seek fresh mandate.

The padyatra succeeded in rejuvenating Congress, which has been wading through various issues including internal

bickering, defeats at the hustings and questions over lack of

astute leadership, analysts said.

The out-of-power Congress in Karnataka whose popularity had been suspected of slowly waning, received a shot in the arm through the 'padyatra', which bolstered its image as party that still had a lot of steam, they said.

Congress in the state found the 'padyatra' as a powerful platform to display its leadership qualities. Leading from the front leaders like Siddaramaiah, KPCC President R V Deshpande, Working President D K Shivakumar, V S Ugrappa, Motamma and G Parameshwara shattered erstwhile images and emerged as able party commandos, in their fight-to-finish rally, infusing a lot of optimism and energy into its followers.

Shepherding the flock on the journey, Siddaramaiah time and again sought to pin down the BJP on the illegal mining issue and its failures, emerging as a key leader and whose role in future was expected to see an upward trend.

The march also brought together sparring leaders who buried their differences to walk in unity. It also saw a healthy blend of the old leaders and young Congress turks including Ajay Singh, Priyank Kharge, Nivedith, Krishna Byregowda, Kumar and Madhu Bangarappa.

The padyatra saw the Congress demonstrating organisational skills in mobilising its supporters at district levels to organise food and shelter and a smooth passage for the participants.

The walkathon was peppered by cultural events, dance, singing and even a birthday cake cutting ceremony. Performances by yakshagana folk artists, walking on stilts by youths, beating of drums greeted the Congress caravan en route.

The padyatra saw the leaders trying their hands riding a bullock card, lifting a 10 kg silver mace presented by a supporter, dancing impromptu to the tunes of popular music and sharing steaming cups of tea and coffee with their foot soldiers, reviving the old camaraderie in the party.

At Gopanhalli in Hiriyur taluk, Congress activist paraded a look-alike of Sreeramulu with handcuffs, a move that invited some sharp reactions from BJP camp and even the JDS who shot it down for being a below the belt hitting gesture.

The fortnight-long walk tested the physical fitness of the leaders, some of whom were in their sixties. The long walk ended in participants ending with blisters on feet, sore legs, aching arms and some even running mild fever. It even saw an ominous start when an aged worker collapsed and died on the first day of the yatra.

The physical problems were set to be allayed as a team of doctors regularly checked the participants and masseurs massaged tired feet. Acupressure sessions, oil massages and hot water dips kept the tired feet going.

The march also saw women led by leader of the legislative council C Motamma enduring the long haul. Walking in groups, women withstood the ordeal. Wives of some male leaders also joined them en route.

Raagi muddes, idlis, dosas and hot vegetarian food provided fuel for the total haul.