Siddaramaiah, other Congress leaders try to storm CM’s residence, detained

BENGALURU: Several Congress leaders, including Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, were detained by the police on Saturday when they tried to proceed towards the Chief Minister’s official residence to protest against the alleged corruption in the BJP government.

Congress leader Priyank Kharge was among several leaders who were detained by the police on Saturday.

Following the Lokayukta raid on BJP’s Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa’s son Prashanth Madal and the seizure of Rs 8.12 crore in cash, the Congress had planned to lay seige to the CM’s residence on Saturday. Party MLA Ramalinga Reddy had even got posters stuck which read Rollcall ‘Model’ Virupakshappa. The BJP government is steeped in corruption and has looted crores, they alleged, and demanded the immediate arrest of Virupakshappa.

Senior Congress leaders including AICC in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Siddaramaiah, Priyank Kharge, Eshwar Khandre, Dinesh Gundurao, K J George took part in the protest. Siddaramaiah even sat on protest with a suitcase to taunt the government. Speaking at the protest venue, Surjewala said, “BJP stands for Bhrasht Janata Party and Bommai government is Bhrastasur Bommai Sarkar. The government has looted Karnataka and should put up boards saying ‘Welcome to 40 pc government’. The BJP’s pot of sins is overflowing and it’s time to throw them out. The people of Karnataka should make up their minds now”, he said.

Siddaramaiah addressing party workers before being detained, on Saturday.

The Congress leaders also raised the allegations made by contractors’ association president Kempanna, contractor Santosh Patil’s suicide and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state eight times, but does not speak about the 40 per cent commission. They also wore masks of Virupakshappa and sat with bags of fake notes to taunt the government.

“In the history of Karnataka, there has never been a government more corrupt than this one. In all my political life, I have never seen a more corrupt and brazen government which only speaks lies. The BJP is a factory of lies…Modi, Shah, Nadda, Kateel all speak lies and Bommai beats them all to it”, he remarked.

State Youth Congress president Mohammed Haris Nalapad leading a protest.

Questioning Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai if he had any shame, Siddaramaiah alleged that the ministers have been tasked with raising a certain amount of money. “This time, they cannot play the religion card, so they are using money power. The BJP plans to spend Rs 100 crore in each constituency”, he charged. Not just Prashanth Madal, his father Virupakshappa should also be arrested and Basavaraj Bommai should resign as Chief Minister owning moral responsibility, he stressed.

Further, he said Dr C N Ashwath Narayan is useless and added that both the minister and BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel are ‘murderers’. Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in singular, he asked whether the PM could not put some sense into the BJP leaders.