BENGALURU: Activists of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a massive protest at Freedom Park in the city on Monday against the death of two youths due to potholes in Attur Layout and Rajanukunte.
The AAP workers, who were planning to start the procession from Freedom Park and lock the BBMP office, were stopped and arrested by the police midway.
“People dying due to potholes in Bengaluru are not just victims. It is a state-sponsored massacre. The shameless government, which is not capable of filling the potholes, is committing crimes by taking innocent lives in this manner,” AAP’s Bengaluru president Mohan Dasari said.
He said the government has decided to cheat voters by filling potholes with shoddy work only when it’s a few days before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force for the BBMP elections.
“Accidents due to potholes have become common in Bengaluru. There are 3-4 deaths every month because of this. The chief minister, who roams in zero traffic corridors, and ministers and MLAs who are always in their cars, do not understand the difficulties of two-wheeler riders”, he said.
Dasari further added that the government delays the release of funds for road works if the contractors do not agree to pay up a commission. The state has never seen such a money-hungry government before, he remarked.
Hitting out at Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Dasari said, “The CM thinks that people will vote for the BJP even if the potholes are filled on polling day. But the people should wake up and teach a lesson to the corrupt BJP in the coming elections. Every accident caused due to potholes should motivate people to vote against the BJP,” he said, adding, “People should always remember that those who pay various kinds of taxes have full right to get good roads and question the government for lowering the dignity of Bengaluru for making bad roads”.
AAP leaders Suresh Rathod, Jagadish V Sadam, Suhasini, Usha Mohan, Anjana Gowda, Bhanuprakash, Vishwanath, Mahesh Babu and others participated in the protest. (ANI)