The BJP concluded its four-day-old dharna with this programme at the busy K R Circle, one of main places in the city. The traffic in the city during peak hour went haywire due to this dharna. The BJP workers came in from different parts of the city and nearby taluks, squatted near the Circle for more than an hour, triggering off traffic blockades in several parts of the city.

Addressing the gathering, Yediyurappa said the party would give a call to people to not pay taxes and start a movement to remove the Janata Dal government in six months time. BJP MP from Kanakapura M Srinivas, BJP deputy leader in the State Assembly, S Suresh Kumar, party legislators, corporators and office bearers also courted arrest.

The police hadhired more than 50 buses to ferry those who courted arrest and took them to the newly constructed open-air jail. The BJP activists shouted anti-government slogans, denouncing the power tariff hike and bringing beneficiaries of the Bhagya Jyothi scheme under tariff, which hitherto enjoyed free power supply. The BJP has been demanding withdrawal of turn over tax on fertilizers.

The BJP leaders also demanded the resignation of the state agriculture Minister, C Byre Gowda for his failure to secure fertilizer for distribution to farmers.

The BJP had earlier planned to storm into the Vidhana Soudha, the State secretariat, but dropped it as the police had promulgated prohibitory orders within the radius of one kilometre. The police had deployed special striking forces as a precautionary measure. As a preemptive step, the city police had promulgated Section 144 yesterday in and around Vidhana Soudha.