Party holds protest rally against ‘failures’ of the government
Several top leaders of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, including the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, leaders of the Opposition of both the Houses of the State legislature Jagadish Shettar and K.S. Eshwarappa, and State unit president Pralhad Joshi, courted arrest here on Tuesday after they were prevented by the police from laying siege to the Vidhana Soudha.
The BJP wanted to lay a siege to the Vidhana Soudha, where the legislature session is on, as part of their protest against alleged failures of the Congress government on various fronts.
Siddaramaiah blamed
Before courting arrest, Mr. Yeddyurappa launched a direct attack at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by blaming him for all the lapses in the administration, including the alleged collapse of law and order and increase in the incidents of crimes against women. “Mr. Siddaramaiah does not have any moral right to continue in power,” he said. Describing the protest as only a beginning, he said that the BJP would not rest till Mr. Siddaramaiah bows out.
Endorsing his views, Mr. Joshi said the Chief Minister should have sacked even the Home Minister instead of just replacing the city Police Commissioner to instil confidence among people.
Alleging that AICC president Sonia Gandhi was protecting Mr. George, he demanded that she display her commitment to the cause of women by acting sternly against the Minister in the wake of rapes and other incidents of violence against women.
Mr. Eshwarappa accused the Siddaramaiah government of letting down the oppressed sections while Mr. Shettar expressed concern over “anarchy” in the State following the alleged collapse of law and order.
Earlier, the protesters held a rally at the Freedom Park where the leaders criticised the government for allegedly letting down the oppressed sections of society. BJP’s backward classes morcha president and MLC Sreenivas Poojary alleged that the poor beneficiaries of the subsidised housing scheme were worried as the government was yet to release funds to them for taking up house construction. He demanded that Housing Minister M.H. Ambareesh should either sanction funds to them or quit.
The protesters then took out a march from the Freedom Park to the Gandhi Square, near Anand Rao Circle, where they courted arrest.
(The Hindu)
