BENGALURU: Karnataka Pradesh Congress President DK Shivakumar on Thursday lashed out at BJP and Bengaluru police for registering an FIR against party’s Rajarajeshwari Nagar candidate H Kusuma. A case was registered suo motu by the Rajarajeshwari Nagar police on October 14 accusing Kusuma of violating the electoral model code of conduct while filing her nomination papers as candidate. Shivakumar called the FIR an attempt at scaring the debutante candidate and Congress workers to stall their election campaign by misusing the police department. An angry Shivakumar on Thursday accused the police department of behaving like puppets in the hands of BJP leaders and BJP candidate Muniratna.
“It is our fault that we nurtured this former MLA (Muniratna). He has misused the police to file cases against workers of Congress, JDS and BJP too. We were helpless when women corporators came to us with complaints against him. Hence, it is our fault too. But we will not be deterred. This isn’t just atrocity against our debutante woman candidate but also an attempt to scare our workers into not campaigning,” Shivakumar said.
Reading out the FIR filed on the basis of a complaint by policemen on Wednesday, he said Kusuma had been booked under IPC Sections 34, 188 and 356 after Congress legislature party chief Siddaramaiah’s escorts allegedly broke through security barricades set up 100 metres around the BBMP office and pushed policemen on duty in a bid to make way for him to accompany Kusuma during her filing of nomination.
“I have never seen such dirty politics in a democratic set-up ever. The FIR alleges that our candidate Kusuma, along with Siddaramaiah, and many Congress leaders, attempted to enter within 100 metres of the electoral office illegally. If Siddaramaiah’s escorts pushed the police, why not file an FIR against them or Siddaramaiah or me? Why target our candidate who had come to file her nomination papers? She has not violated any model code of conduct,” he said, while questioning if leaders of other parties weren’t present why no cases were filed against them. Shivakumar added that the party will approach the ECI against the attempt to “intimidate” their candidate.